Faculty Directory
Rheinallt Jones, PhD
Associate Professor
Director of the Emory Gnotobiotic Animal Core
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
Department of Pediatrics
Emory University School of Medicine
EMAIL: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
PHONE: 404-727-7231
Biography
1991-1995 Bachelor of Science, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom Applied Biology
1996-2002 Ph. D., Department of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Bangor, United Kingdom
2003-2008 Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Pathology, Emory University, GA
2009-2014 Instructor, Department of Pathology, Emory University, GA
2014-2020 Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, GA
2020- Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University, GA
Research
The intestinal microbiota is increasingly recognized as an important actor in a variety of normal host physiological events including immune, homeostatic, and behavioral processes. By extension, a “dysbiosis” of this relationship may lead to the initiation and progression of host pathological disease conditions. Despite this well-established influence of the microbiota on human health, there is still a critical gap in our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms by which the microbiota influences gut health. The long term goal of my research group is to identify the bacterial community structure, the microbial products, and the cellular signaling pathways that mediate the influences of the microbiota on human health. The current goal of the lab is to identify how perturbations to the microbiota influence intestinal stem cell (ISC) turnover, differentiation and gut epithelial barrier integrity. In our approach, we utilize a wide variety of methodologies including both mouse and Drosophila model systems, as well as sequence based microbiota analysis. Importantly, we have the capacity to raise germ-free mice and flies, and gnotobiotically monoassociated them with either candidate symbiotic bacteria, with a defined group of bacteria, or with purified bacterial proteins and products. Ultimately, the goal is to develop deliberate manipulation of the microbiota as a therapeutic strategy to ameliorate symptoms resulting from digestive diseases.