Professor Dr. Manolis Roulis

Biography

Manolis Roulis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. His research expertise encompasses the homeostasis of mucosal barrier tissues, which are maintained by complex interactions between resident cell types, the immune system, and microbiota. The overarching goal of his research is to understand the balance that, when disrupted, can lead to chronic inflammatory, fibrotic, and neoplastic processes resulting in irreversible loss of tissue architecture and organ functionality. His lab focuses on the biology of intestinal fibroblasts, which occupy specific niches within tissues and exhibit distinct transcriptional programs that influence their function in physiology and disease, areas that remain poorly understood. By integrating single-cell studies in human tissues with functional analyses in mouse models, as well as using human organoids and organotypic systems, his laboratory aims to uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms through which fibroblasts govern intestinal inflammation, fibrosis, and tumorigenesis.

Research Interests