Neural control of intestinal inflammation – therapies for inflammatory bowel disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is common, chronic and debilitating; treatments are variably successful, costly and can lose effectiveness over time. A major form of IBD, Crohn’s disease, almost always recurs, even after the affected region has been surgically removed. Patients and their families are desperate for new, effective treatments that are safe and have limited side effects.

This project represents a dramatic paradigm shift. We are systematically investigating the pathways of neuroimmune interactions in the intestine, including vagal, sympathetic and enteric nervous system pathways.

We are closely comparing neuroimmune changes that are associated with active inflammation and remission both in human and in an animal model, and we are investigating new treatment, both through neuromodulation and through the investigation of novel molecular and cell targets.

The project involves a team of neuroscientists, physiologists, clinicians and bioengineers working closely together.