Dr. Beatriz Lobo, researcher at the Physiology and Pathophysiology Digestive Tract group at Vall d'Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR) has been awarded by the Faculty of Medicine of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona with the extraordinary PhD prize, she has received this prize thanks to her PhD thesis "Clinical Benefit and Intestinal Mucosal Transcriptome Modulation After Long-Term Mast Cell Stabilization With Oral Disodium Cromoglycate in Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-D)" that she carried out during the 2013-2013 scholastic year.Dr. Lobo's work has increased the current knowledge about the clinical and biological benefits related to the intestinal mucosal mast cell modulation. "We have proved that the mast cell modulation, by administering disodium Cromoglycate (DSCG) orally, has allowed patients with IBS to improve diarrhea and stool consistency", explains VHIR's researcherIBS is a functional disorder associated with abdominal discomfort or pain and it is associated with a change in the frequency and form of stool. The diagnostic remains clinical due to the lack of biological markers and its prevalence in society is high. However, the scientific evidence provided for the last years suggests the presence of low-grade chronic mucosal inflammation and changes in the intestinal barrier function associated with visceral hypersensitivity and motor changes in patients with IBS.In order to modulate the mast cell function, Dr. Lobo resorted to treatment with DSCG and she carried out an exploratory study where she compared the effects of the treatment versus the effect of placebo. She carried out a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled 6-month clinical trial using a cohort of 42 patients suffering from in Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS-D) after she identified clinical benefit where abdominal pain was reduced in the 50% of the patients and stool consistency became normal for the 75% of the patients. Despite the fact that there was a significant reduction in the values of severity of IBS and abdominal pain, the effect of DSCG was greater regarding the improvement of stool consistency. This benefit is associated with the restoration of intestinal homeostasis due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect. Furthermore, the group that received placebo showed an association between depression and the severity of abdominal pain, which suggests the presence of underlaying mechanisms to placebo response.