Grant: Operating Grant

There are currently hundreds of thousands of Canadians that are suffering from chronic incurable conditions known as Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). Canada has one of the highest incidence rates of IBD in the world and approximately 25% of these cases are diagnosed in childhood. Canadian physicians have noted with great concern that the number of children diagnosed with IBD increased by 50% between the mid 1990's and 2005. Moreover, there is currently no medical cure for IBD and the cause of IBD is uncertain. Recent work has made great strides in identifying the large number of human genes involved in IBD, but how these genes relate to IBD presentation and disease course remains largely unknown. There is a huge diversity of bacterial microbes situated at the surface of the digestive tract. Recent studies suggest that the types of bacteria that are present in the intestinal tract of healthy people may be important in maintaining proper health. Conversely, an imbalance in the types of these bacteria is associated with the development of diseases or pathological conditions such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Determining the identities of these different types of bacteria and how they interact with human genes in the context of pediatric IBD is the goal of this project. This proposal is unique in combining the expertise and experience of both top Canadian pediatric IBD physicians and world renowned research scientists. This study will have important implications for understanding the cause and mechanism of IBD and could provide us with the required knowledge to develop novel treatments. The role of these intestinal bacteria in causing IBD or maintaining inflammation will be determined. Improved understanding of these microbes and their activities is essential to design novel therapeutic interventions aimed at manipulating these intestinal microbial communities (for example with specific diets) or their interactions with the host immune system.