Crohn's & Colitis Foundation Teams Up with Center for Genome Sciences at Washington University to Transform Understanding of the Role of Gut Microbes in Digestive Health and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The Foundation's Gut Microbiome Initiative aims to create new molecular and bioinformatic tools for the development of cures for chronic digestive diseases affecting millions worldwide

New York, NY - May 28, 2008 - The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America today announced the launch of its Gut Microbiome Initiative in partnership with the Center for Genome Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and collaborators at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The first phase of this interdisciplinary research initiative will leverage the strengths and expertise of a group that has pioneered studies of the genetic and metabolic foundations of the alliance forged between gut microbes and their human hosts. Their research, which also encompasses the question of how our gut microbial communities are acquired and sustained, has focused on monozygotic (identical) and dizygotic (fraternal) twins and their mothers. Using the latest generation of massively parallel DNA sequencers and sophisticated computational methods, they will study the complex role that intestinal microbial communities play in digestive health and in disease states.

Over 1.4 million Americans suffer from Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, chronic, painful digestive disorders, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The normal peaceful alliance between gut microbes and the gut's immune system is broken in IBD. Until now, only a limited amount of information has been gleaned about the composition and activities of gut microbial communities in healthy individuals versus those with IBD.

Jeffrey Gordon, M.D., Director of Washington University's Center for Genome Sciences, will lead the project as principal investigator. "Our bodies are home to more microbial than human cells. Thus, our genetic makeup is a combination of our human genes and the vast number of genes embedded in the genomes of our microbial partners (the microbiome)," says Dr. Gordon. "Exploring the microbial side of ourselves, using very recent advances in the genome sciences promises to provide new insights about the factors that influence our normal physiology and disease predisposition." Dr. Gordon continues, "knowing how to rapidly and accurately define the nature and operations of the gut microbiome should help investigators develop new insights about the mechanisms that lead to IBD, better ways to diagnose and categorize IBD, new therapeutic approaches, and ultimately, new ways to prevent these disorders in susceptible individuals. More generally, this Gut Microbiome Initiative, sponsored by the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation, will help catalyze fundamental and applied research in a new field of science known as metagenomics, where culture-independent methods are employed to characterize microbial communities in their native habitats."

The Gut Microbiome Initiative aims to provide procedures for characterizing gut microbial ecology first in disease-free twins and then IBD patients. Rob Knight, Ph.D., at University of Colorado at Boulder, will lead a team developing powerful data mining, statistical and visualization tools so that the complex and massive datasets emanating from this and follow-up studies can be comprehended. Importantly, these tools and gut microbiome datasets will be made available through publicly accessible databases and web sites to serve scientists around the world in their quest to develop new treatments and cures for IBD. One anticipated outcome of these world-wide efforts will be development of new molecular diagnostics that can rapidly detect human and microbial genes which in combination affect disease risk, facilitate diagnosis, and allow better monitoring of therapeutic responses, including more sensitively defining the risk for disease relapse.

"The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation views the Gut Microbiome Initiative as the most significant research we have sponsored to date," said Richard J. Geswell, President of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. "We have utmost respect for Dr. Gordon and his colleagues and their commitment to our field. We are thrilled to be in a position to take advantage of their leading-edge and innovative metagenomic studies of the gut microbiome to help accelerate progress in finding cures."

About Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are painful, medically incurable illnesses that attack the digestive system. Crohn's disease may attack anywhere from the mouth to the anus, while ulcerative colitis inflames only the large intestine (colon). Symptoms may include abdominal pain, persistent diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fever and weight loss. Many patients require hospitalization and surgery. These illnesses can cause severe complications, including colon cancer in patients with long-term disease. Some 1.4 million American adults and children suffer from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, with as many as 150,000 under the age of 18. Most people develop the diseases between the ages of 15 and 35.

About the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. The Foundation ranks third among leading health non-profits in the percentage of expense devoted to research toward a cure, and more than 81 cents of every dollar the Foundation spends goes to mission-critical programs. The Foundation consistently meets the standards of organizations that monitor charities, including the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance (give.org) and the American Institute of Philanthropy (charitywatch.org). For more information, contact the Foundation at 800-932-2423 or visit www.ccfa.org.


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