Alessio Fasano, MD, is Visiting Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, and Division Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston. He also serves as Associate Chief of Basic, Clinical and Translational Research for the Department of Pediatrics, Director of the Center for Celiac Research and Director of the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center at the same institution.
Dr. Fasano founded the Center for Celiac Research in 1996 at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and moved it to MassGeneral Hospital for Children in January 2013. The Center offers state-of-the art research, teaching, and clinical expertise for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of gluten-related disorders, including celiac disease, wheat allergy, and gluten sensitivity, for both adult and pediatric patients.
Trained in Naples, Italy, as a pediatric gastroenterologist, Dr. Fasano was recruited to the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1993 and founded its Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Puzzled by the absence of children exhibiting symptoms of celiac disease in the clinic, he resolved to uncover the mystery of missing American “celiacs.” His perseverance in the face of skepticism about celiac disease in the U.S. eventually led to his publication of the groundbreaking study in 2003 that established the rate of the autoimmune disorder at one in 133 Americans.
Dr. Fasano’s research focuses on mucosal biology of the gut and transcends the disciplines of microbiology, molecular and cell biology, and physiology. A firm believer in the serendipitous discoveries that result from collaboration, Dr. Fasano leads a team of 30 researchers in nine countries and enjoys research partnerships with institutions around the world. By focusing on the “cross talk” between enteric pathogens and their hosts, Dr. Fasano’s group has elucidated various organs and cell functions involved in health and disease, including inflammation and autoimmunity.
The discovery of bacterial toxins that cause diarrhea by Fasano’s team led to the development of new vaccines. Their work also led to the discovery in 2000 of the ancient molecule zonulin, which regulates the impermeability of the intestine also known as “leaky gut.” Dr. Fasano’s research has linked an overproduction of zonulin to the pathogenesis of a series of autoimmune diseases, including type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, and multiple sclerosis.
Dr. Fasano has published more than 230 peer-reviewed papers and has filed more than 160 patent applications. An elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, he has received numerous awards for his translational science and other achievements including the Harry Shwachman Award from the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in 2012. He has been named as one of America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly for five consecutive years (2007-2011) and was a 2005 finalist for the National Institute of Health (NIH) Director’s Pioneer Award.
Dr. Fasano’s research has been continuously funded by the NIH since 1995. He served as a member of the Gastrointestinal Cell and Molecular Biology NIH study section from 2005 to 2008 and continues his activity as an ad hoc reviewer. In 2010 he was elected as a member of the NIH College of Center for Scientific Review (CSR) Reviewers.
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