Grant: Canada Postdoctoral Research Award (CPRA) program

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease that causes painful inflammation in the colon. It affects more than 320,000 Canadians and costs the health care system over $5 billion each year. People living with UC often experience a cycle of flare-ups and remissions, leading to pain, stress, repeated hospital visits, and, in many cases, surgery. Current treatments are expensive, have serious side effects, and often fail to prevent long-term complications. There is no cure. Diet and gut bacteria play a central role in UC. In a recent clinical study, our team demonstrated that following a Mediterranean-style diet resulted in improved symptoms compared to a typical Canadian diet. However, not all patients benefited equally, and their gut bacteria did not fully recover. This indicates that diet alone is insufficient and that treatment must be personalized to the individual. This fellowship will test two innovative strategies. First, we will develop a tool to predict which patients are most likely to benefit from dietary therapy, using clinical, dietary, and gut bacteria profiles. Second, we will test a new "next-generation probiotic" called BioPersist, which has been genetically designed to survive in the harsh, inflamed environment of the UC colon. In animal studies, BioPersist reduces inflammation and helps restore a healthy balance of gut bacteria. By combining personalized diets with next-generation probiotics, this research aims to create safer, more effective, and less costly treatments for UC. The results will inform future clinical trials, improve quality of life for patients, and reduce the burden of this disease on Canadian families and the health care system.