Our clinical research programme into the underlying triggers of inflammatory bowel diseases aims to find better treatment options for these debilitating conditions.
The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is increasing at a dramatic rate worldwide, on track to affect up to one percent of the population by 2045.
While the exact cause is not fully understood, it is likely a result of an imbalance or ‘disharmony’ in the gut, with the microbiome and environmental factors driving inappropriate activation of the gut immune system in genetically susceptible individuals.
IBD is also highly heterogeneous – with a wide range of symptoms and disease progression within a population – further complicating treatment options for patients.
The Malaghan Institute is undertaking exploratory clinical studies to help identify the immune and microbial differences between individuals with mild and severe forms of IBD, as well as healthy volunteers, to better understand the root causes of these kinds of diseases and potentially develop new approaches to treatment and prevention.
Clinical study: Origins of severe Crohn's disease
A new clinical study by the Malaghan Institute's Mules Laboratory will explore the underlying triggers of perianal Crohn's disease with the aim of finding better treatment options.
Led by Dr Tom Mules, Malaghan Institute and Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Capital, Coast and Hutt Valley, in collaboration with Professor Michael Schultz, University of Otago and Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora – Southern, the research focuses on this severe form of the condition, which affects around 1 in 5 people with Crohn's disease.
Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes life-long inflammation in the gut. Approximately one in four patients with Crohn’s disease will develop peri-anal fistulising disease, a painful and debilitating complication where tracts form between the intestine and skin, that is often resistant to conventional therapies. By comparing immune and microbiome profiles between patients with or without this subtype, and with people without IBD, Dr Mules hopes to uncover immunological clues that may lead to new and better treatments.
The Mules Lab is running a clinical study to analyse the microbiome (the bacteria colonising the gut), metabolome (by-products of the microbiome), and immune system in patients with this severe form of Crohn’s disease. The lab will also examine important patient factors, including the impact that this condition has on an individual’s quality of life.
The study will collect samples from individuals with IBD and perianal Crohn's disease across Dunedin and the greater Wellington region. Potential participants with Crohn’s disease can be referred to the study by their specialist.
The team are also seeking volunteers without IBD or other gut-related diseases living in the greater Wellington or Dunedin areas, aged between 18 and 80 years old, who are willing to provide stool and blood samples to analyse the microbiome and immune cells.
If you would like more details about the study, please email [email protected].
Please note: the Malaghan Institute is not a health provider or a healthcare facility
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