Elizabeth A. Marcus, MD

Dr. Elizabeth Marcus is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She received a BA in Psychology from Stanford University and her medical degree from the University of Southern California. She completed her residency in Pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and her fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology at UCLA. Her clinical interests include intestinal failure/intestinal transplant, TPN, and general GI.

Dr. marcus' research interests: Basic science research studying acid acclimation mechanisms and pathogen/host interactions of Helicobacter pylori. H. pylori infects 50% of the world's population and causes gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcer disease, and gastric cancer. Infection typically occurs in childhood. The bacteria are able to live in the acidic gastric environment by regulating the pH of the periplasmic space, mainly through the use of a cytoplasmic urease enzyme and a pH gated urea channel. Both bacterial and host factors determine who will develop more advanced disease. Study of how H. pylori are able to live in the stomach and which factors increase virulence will lead to improved treatment regimens. Dr. Marcus has been awarded grants from the NIH as a result of this work.

Current Research Project:

• Mechanisms of gastric mucosal response to H. pylori infection at acidic pH