neuroengineering

Breaking Down the Gut-Brain Divide

Erkin Şeker, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of California, Davis, and his lab have developed a microfluidic device that allows researchers to model the neuronal communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system, or CNS. It’s an essential advancement in an interdisciplinary, collaborative research initiative helmed by Şeker to understand the gut-brain axis — and eventually to improve outcomes for conditions related to the gut, like Crohn’s disease and mental health issues.