IBD-CHARACTER · Inflammatory Bowel Disease CHARACTERization by a multi-modal integrated biomarker study

We propose a collaborative effort to advance our understanding of the inflammatory bowel diseases Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease and to increase diagnostic precision in detection of the diseases in their early manifestation. We will utilize the largest collection of samples so far assembled of treatment naïve patients recently diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease, a total of 400 patients. The material will be extensively analyzed for DNA methylation status, RNA transcription profile, protein markers and gut microbial content in order to create a molecular snapshot of IBD in its early manifestation. As control group, material from a total of 200 recently by endoscopy diagnosed non-inflammatory but symptomatic patients (symptomatic non-IBD) as well as 200 healthy, age-matched, non-smoking, controls without any known first relatives diagnosed with IBD, will be collected and used. All patients will be diagnosed according to standardized diagnostic criteria’s, characterized using current known clinical markers as well as genotyped for known susceptibility loci. This large, well characterized cohort in conjunction with our proposed massive molecular profiling will yield a list of biomarkers indicative for onset of the disease. Based on the finding within the project assays capable of analyzing panels of relevant protein markers and methods for rapid profiling of gut microbial content relevant for IBD will be developed by participating SME:s, offering large commercial potential. The proposed biomarkers will form a solid ground for development of improved diagnostic assays and be a rich source to mine for novel therapeutic targets.