Why Crohn's sometimes returns after surgery: genes, immunity, and gut bugs
Understanding the Interaction between Host Genetics, Immune response, and Gut Microbes in Post-operative Recurrence of Crohn's disease
This project looks at how a person's genes, immune responses, and gut microbes are linked to Crohn's disease coming back after bowel surgery for people who had ileocolic resection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Sinai Health System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Toronto, Canada) |
| Project ID | NIH-11330272 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be joining work that uses blood, stool, and bowel tissue samples collected around the time of surgery and at follow-up visits. Researchers will use advanced lab methods, including broad antibody profiling (PhIP-Seq), genetics, and microbiome tests, to see which immune and microbial patterns match disease coming back. They will combine these data with clinical follow-up using a large, multi-center post-operative Crohn's biobank from the IBD Genetic Consortium. The goal is to find biological signals that predict recurrence and point to better ways to prevent it.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people with Crohn's disease who have had an ileocolic resection and are enrolled in or eligible for the NIDDK IBDGC post-operative cohort and willing to provide blood, stool, or biopsy samples.
Not a fit: People who have never had bowel surgery, who have other forms of IBD such as ulcerative colitis, or who cannot provide the required samples are unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help predict who is at high risk of Crohn's returning after surgery and suggest targets to prevent or treat recurrence.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work has linked microbiome and immune markers to post-operative recurrence, but combining large-scale antibody profiling with genetics and microbiome data is a newer, less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
Toronto, Canada
- Sinai Health System — Toronto, Canada (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Sun-Ho — Sinai Health System
- Study coordinator: Lee, Sun-Ho
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.