Knowledge of the intestinal microbiota has transformed medical science, but not the treatment of IBD. The microbiota is difficult to use clinically because current analytical methods provide outputs that are too complex to provide useful data during an acute IBD flare. To solve these issues, we have developed a novel methodology, ‘MicFly’ that allows us […]
Despite intense research efforts on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), there are no treatments that result in a sustained return to normal. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop innovative treatment approaches. Applying lessons learned from cancer immunotherapy, we have developed a novel treatment aimed at curing IBD: injectable Colon Organoid Immune Niche (COIN). Using […]
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a condition where the immune system mistakenly attacks the intestine, leading to chronic inflammation and bowel damage. One unique feature of IBD is the growth of new lymphatic vessels—tiny tubes responsible for draining fluids and immune cells to maintain balance in the body. However, […]
Microorganisms are critical to the health and disease of Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients. As such, manipulating them has great therapeutic potential. Indeed, there is now evidence that the engineered microorganisms can treat intestinal inflammation through the delivery of therapeutic proteins. However, this new class of therapies based on living cells have so far been optimized […]
We currently lack cures for chronic intestinal diseases. Despite incredible advances in understanding and targeting inflammation that promotes diseases like Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, many patients develop resistance to treatment, suggesting alternative disease drivers beyond immune cells and the inflammatory molecules they produce. While the gut has remarkable regenerative capacity due to specialized stem cells that […]
Several lines of evidence have implicated stress in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress) of intestinal cells to the pathogenesis of IBD. ER stress is a common feature in tissues from individuals with IBD, and mutations in genes in ER homeostasis are risk factors for both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In animal models, genetic deletion […]
Glucocorticoids are the mainstay treatment to quell acute flare events in the context of Inflammatory Bowel Disease. These steroids are taken systemically and have broad and long-lasting side effects. As a result, alternative, safer approaches are sought. We have recently discovered that proteins made by the gut microbiota found predominantly in healthy individuals trigger the […]
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) remains difficult to treat, partly because we do not fully understand how dying cells within the intestinal lining influence immune responses and tissue repair. Different types of cell death—apoptosis (non-inflammatory), necroptosis, pyroptosis (inflammatory)—occur in IBD, but how immune responses to them shape healing remains unclear. When intestinal epithelial cells die through […]
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) including Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is caused by environmental triggers and a dysregulated immune system. Interactions between certain bacteria, known as pathobionts, and the gut immune system contribute to IBD in animal models. However, we understand little of the types of pathobionts that might be influencing human IBD. […]
We and others have recently shown that intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) are central players in immune responses during IBD. They can both increase or calm the inflammation by secreting molecules and interacting with immune cells during IBD. Interferons are central modulators of an immune response, and Interferon regulatory factor (IRF)-1 is a non-redundant transcription factor […]
