Grant: Operating Grant

In 2012, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada called for recognition of inflammatory bowel disease a national health priority. This was in response to new alarming numbers that place IBD rates in Canada among the highest in the world. Today, 1 in every 150 Canadians has one form of IBD, which costs our society a conservative estimate of 3 billon dollars each year. Currently, a diagnosis of Crohn's disease (a major form of IBD) is a life sentence, often striking people in childhood or early adulthood. It is a chronic disease in dire need of an ambitious and targeted research agenda. We discovered that adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) that is associated with Crohn's disease causes chronic inflammation and fibrosis in mice that resembles the human disease. Recently, we uncovered yet another key link between AIEC and Crohn's disease risk factors. We found that hosts exposed to acute gastroenteritis from common food poisoning or by antibiotic use are more susceptible to AIEC infection and pathology. These findings are significant because both are known risk factors for Crohn's disease. With investment in this area, breakthrough research with direct applications to clinical practice and public health can be expected, and answer a pressing call to tackle Crohn's disease in this country.