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NIH grants $10 million for Cedars-Sinai research in IBD genetics
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The NIH has awarded Cedars-Sinai a $10 million grant for research on the genetic and immunological causes of inflammatory bowel disease, wrapping up a research effort spanning more than 20 years, according to a press release.
“This is the longest IBD study of its kind funded by the NIH and the first to explore the genetic makeup of the disease,” Stephan R. Targan, MD, director of the F. Widjaja Foundation Inflammatory Bowel and Immunobiology Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai, said in the press release. “Since 1992, we’ve taken an integrative approach — bringing several areas of science together — to demonstrate that this challenging disease is in fact comprised of several forms of the disease, each with a different biology.”
The results of this investigation have demonstrated that there is a spectrum of IBD. While Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the commonly recognized forms, IBD can manifest in a variety of ways, and therefore a precise diagnosis is important for personalizing treatments based on a patient’s “biological makeup,” according to the press release.
“Using molecular signatures to identify subgroups of IBD — and taking into account a patient’s disease severity and response to treatment — is all about getting the right therapy to the right patient at the right time,” Dermot McGovern, MD, PhD, professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and director of Cedars-Sinai Precision Health, said in the press release. “Work from this project is making very significant contributions to helping patients around the world. These approaches to diagnosis and treatment should be available to all sections of society, and we have been working hard to achieve those goals.”
Another component of this project has been an investigation into how the relationship between the immune system and fungal communities in the GI tract may affect IBD, led by David Underhill, PhD, professor of Biomedical Sciences, and the Janis and William Wetsman Family Chair in Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Cedars-Sinai, and colleagues.
“Examining IBD through all these various genetic and biological lenses is pointing the way to novel therapeutic approaches that could finally bring relief and healing to many patients,” Targan said in the press release.
Disclosures: Healio Gastroenterology was unable to confirm the researchers’ relevant financial disclosures.