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.

Our research is systematically investigating the pathways of neuroimmune interactions in the intestine, including vagal, sympathetic and enteric nervous system pathways. We are closely comparing neuro-immune changes that are associated with active inflammation and remission both in human and in an animal model.

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