Research
Australian Inflammatory Bowel Disease Microbiome Study
A longitudinal cohort study with clinical data, patient-reported outcomes data, and biological samples collected from participants over a 24-month period.
The microbiome and links to IBD
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising the 2 main forms – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a global disease challenge. It affects approximately 1 in 250 Australians, with over 80,000 Australians currently living with IBD. IBD arises from a dysregulated immune response to alterations in the gut microbiota in susceptible individuals. Sufferers can endure numerous attacks or ‘flares’ followed by periods of relative remission; however, the disease trigger remains elusive.
Being able to identify people at risk of IBD prior to symptoms, preventing symptom progression, and being able to define how patients are likely to respond to treatment, plays to the heart of IBD healthcare, namely, to improve patient health.
Who are The Sydney+ IBD Research consortium
The Sydney+ IBD Research consortium was initiated in 2018 to bring together clinicians and researchers to improve IBD patient care. The consortium is an active collaboration comprising early, mid and advanced-career clinicians/scientists with complementary strengths. The first aim of the network was to develop the infrastructure to ensure a unified approach to patient recruitment/sample collection – an issue which hampers many multi-centre studies.
What is The Australian IBD Microbiome (AIM) Study
The Australian IBD Microbiome (AIM) Study is the inaugural study of the consortia and commenced recruitment in June 2019. The AIM study is a longitudinal cohort study with clinical data, patient-reported outcomes data, and biological samples collected from participants over a 24-month period.
The project will deliver:
- Microbial changes associated with onset of IBD symptoms
- Identification of Australian IBD microbial signatures to allow targeted intervention
- Generation of novel predictive models of direct translational utility to the clinic.
| Study commencement date | June 2019 |
| Scheduled end date | February 2025 |
| Study Lead | Professor Georgina Hold |
| Lead recruiting site | St George Hospital, Kogarah, NSW 2017 |
| Current recruiting area | New South Wales |
| Recruiting sites | St Vincent’s Hospital Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Liverpool Hospital Concord Hospital Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick Sydney Children’s Hospital, Westmead Wollongong Hospital Blacktown Hospital Sutherland Hospital Canberra Hospital |
| AIM Study Funding | The AIM study receives or has received funds and or support from the following organisations:
Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA) |
Read Australian Inflammatory Bowel Disease Microbiome Study.
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