Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

Crohn's disease (CD) is a form of inflammatory bowel disease that is characterized by chronic intestinal inflammation. Canada has one of the highest rates of CD in the world. The exact cause of CD is unknown, although genetic, immunologic, metabolic, and microbial factors are associated with its development. Due to disease complications, or failure of medical therapy, the majority of CD patients will require an intestinal operation. Unfortunately, within one year of surgery, 80% of patients develop recurrent CD at the location where their intestines were removed. The factors leading to recurrence of disease are poorly understood, though an inappropriate immune response seems to play a central role. The objective of this study is to discover and identify genetic, immunologic, metabolic, and microbial factors involved in the development of post-operative CD recurrence. I anticipate that CD patients who experience disease recurrence following surgery will possess a distinct profile differentiating them from those individuals who remain disease-free. This unique profile will facilitate a targeted research approach focusing on specific microbes or immune pathways. These results will provide a foundation for the development of new therapeutic strategies in the treatment and prevention of post-operative CD recurrence. This research has the potential to improve the wellbeing of the thousands of Canadians with CD who undergo intestinal resection each year.