Composition and Metabolic Activity of Gut Microbiota to Predict Early Inflammatory Bowel Disease Progression

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, to understand how the gut microbiome's composition and function can predict disease progression during the first year after diagnosis. The study aims to identify biomarkers related to gut microbial metabolites that may help guide early treatment decisions and avoid unnecessary exposure to expensive therapies. This research focuses on newly diagnosed patients to capture early disease changes before treatment escalation is needed. The study involves collecting fecal samples and mucosal-luminal interface aspirates at the time of colonoscopy from treatment-naïve IBD patients and controls with similar gastrointestinal symptoms but without IBD. Researchers will analyze the microbial and metabolomic profiles, including short chain fatty acids and secondary bile acids, to find patterns linked to disease progression. The capacity of gut microbes to produce these metabolites will also be tested in laboratory bioreactors simulating the gut environment. Participants will be monitored for up to 36 months, with the main focus on the first 12 months after diagnosis. Researchers will track clinical outcomes and need for treatment escalation, correlating these with microbiome data. Various assessments include colonoscopy, biopsy, microbial and metabolomic profiling, and host gene expression analysis. The goal is to find reliable biomarkers that predict early disease course and support personalized medicine in IBD care.

Early Inflammatory Bowel Disease Progression