Dr. Keith A. Sharkey
Positions
Professor
Cumming School of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology
Full Member
Hotchkiss Brain Institute
Full Member
The Calvin, Phoebe and Joan Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases
Contact information
Web presence
Phone number
Office: +1 (403) 220-4601
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Background
Educational Background
BSc (Hons) Nutrition, University of London, 1981
Doctor of Philosophy Physiology, University of Liverpool, 1985
Biography
Keith Sharkey was educated at the University of London (B.Sc. Hons., Nutrition) and the University of Liverpool (Ph.D., Gastrointestinal Physiology). After postdoctoral training in Hungary, the UK and Canada, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Calgary (1990). He has remained at the University of Calgary for his academic career and is currently Professor of Physiology & Pharmacology in the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. From 2005-2021, Dr. Sharkey held the Crohn’s and Colitis Canada Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research.
Dr. Sharkey’s research is focused on understanding the physiology and pathophysiology of the neural control of the gastrointestinal tract and brain-gut interactions in health and disease. His current interests include studies of the role of the enteric nervous system in GI pathophysiology, the endocannabinoid system of the gut brain axis and the role of the gut brain axis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. He has published over 280 original peer-reviewed research articles, and reviews. For his contributions to gastrointestinal sciences, he was elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.
Research
Areas of Research
My research activities are focused on understanding the physiology and pathophysiology of the neural control of the gastrointestinal tract and brain-gut interactions in health and inflammatory bowel disease. The overarching hypothesis that guides my lab, supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Foundation grant, is that enteric nerves and glia synergistically interact to maintain intestinal homeostasis and perturbations in their function lead to GI disease. Digestion becomes impaired when there are abnormalities in the control of GI motility and/or a breakdown in the intestinal barrier function. This program has two main aims:
Aim 1. To understand how the endocannabinoid system (ECS) regulates GI motility and intestinal barrier function in health and disease. Endocannabinoids are key molecules in the control of gut function, but their physiology remains to be fully determined. Moreover, how this system is altered in disease remains poorly understood and our lab is seeking to better understand how GI inflammation alters the ECS.
Aim 2. To establish the physiology of the enteric nervous system in the control of motility and intestinal barrier function. How enteric nerves, enteroendocrine cells and the enteric microbiota interact with enteric glia in order to effect regulatory control of motor and barrier function remains to be fully understood. Our lab is examining these issues using state-of-the-art approaches including live cell imaging and molecular genetics.
In addition, my lab is part of two collaborative teams. With Dr. Deanna Gibson at UBC Okanagan we are investigating the impact of diet and novel probiotics that target the gut-brain metabolic interactome (CIHR Funded). With Drs. Minh Dang Nguyen and Gerald Pfeffer at the University of Calgary we are examining the gut microbiota as a contributor to sexual dimorphism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (CIHR funded) and the link between gut bacteria and glymphatics in neurodegeneration (also with G. Gordon and E. Elinav) (Brain Canada-Weizmann Institute team grant).
Participation in university strategic initiatives
Courses
| Course number | Course title | Semester |
|---|---|---|
| MDSC 569.02 | The gut-brain-microbiota axis: redefining mammalian physiologgy | Fall 2024 |
| MDSC 619.02 | Neuroscience II - Systems neuroscience and neuropathology | Winter 2025 |
Awards
- Fellow, Royal Society of Canada. 2024
- Cumming School of Medicine’s van de Sande Distinguished Achievement Award for Mentorship, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. 2021
- Distinguished Research Award, Gastrointestinal & Liver Physiology Section, American Physiological Society. 2021
- Finkelstein Award for Excellence , Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. 2016
- Fellow , Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. 2015
- Fellow, Canadian Association of Gastroenterology. 2015
- Killam Annual Professor Award, University of Calgary. 2013
- Faculty of Medicine “Smith” Distinguished Achievement Award for Senior Faculty, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary. 2012
- Research Leadership Award, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. 2009
Publications
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