Why Crohn's sometimes returns after surgery: genes, immunity, and gut bugs
Official title: Understanding the Interaction between Host Genetics, Immune response, and Gut Microbes in Post-operative Recurrence of Crohn's disease
Funded at Sinai Health System · NIH-11330272 · Data updated 2026-11-12
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 start | March 1, 2024 |
| Project end | February 29, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $324,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK138466-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11330272 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
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.
✕Less likely to help
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.
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.
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 gone: 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
-
Sinai Health System
Toronto, Canada Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lee, Sun-Ho — Sinai Health System
- Study coordinator: Lee, Sun-Ho
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Exploring how genetics, immune response, and gut microbes affect Crohn's disease recurrence after surgery
This study is looking at how your genes, immune system, and gut bacteria work together to understand why Crohn's disease can come back after surgery, and by participating, you'll help researchers find better ways to prevent and treat the disease.
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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.