Shaji Sebastian  © ECCO

Murat Toruner © ECCO

In the past, IBD was believed to be predominantly a disease of the Western world. However, recent studies have shown a rapidly increasing incidence of IBD in newly developing areas such as the Middle East, South America and Asia. By the middle of this century, the prevalence of IBD in low and lower-middle income countries (LLMICs) and newly industrialised nations may surpass that in the West. At the same time, the compound prevalence in the Western world and increasing health care costs will add to the challenges in IBD care. As a result of these epidemiological trends, IBD is projected to be an increasing global health burden.

Alicja Ewa Ratajczak-Pawłowska © Alicja Ewa Ratajczak-Pawłowska

As a result of my D-ECCO Travel Award, I was able to spend time at the San Filippo Neri Hospital in Rome during January 2023. There I collaborated with a team at the IBD Unit, UOC Gastroenterology. During my stay, I summarised the studies on nutritional determinants of bone mineral density among patients with Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis which my colleagues and I had conducted in the previous year. I collected data from food frequency questionnaires and laboratory tests, including with respect to calcium, vitamin D, folic acid and homocysteine levels. Additionally, I started planning future research on the impact of MTHFR gene polymorphism on folic acid and homocysteine status and on bone mineral density in patients suffering from IBD. I also had the opportunity to learn about the standard of care for IBD patients in Italy.

Deciphering the bioactive role of extracellular matrix fragments (matrikines) in Crohn's Disease (CD) fibrostenosis as potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers

Margarita Papatheodoridi   © Margarita Papatheodoridi

Background & aim of research

To evaluate the in vitro effect of selected novel matrix-derived peptides (matrikines) that specifically appear in the intestinal tissue of patients with Crohn’s Disease (CD) fibrostenosis on primary human intestinal myofibroblasts (iMFBs).

The gut mycobiome in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Continuation of the project initiated by Chloe Huseyin, ECCO Grant Awardee

Marcus Claesson   © Marcus Claesson

Background & aim of research

The conducted research had two aims:

Aim 1: To characterise the inter-/intra-individual composition of the mycobiome of patients with IBD and healthy controls utilising a variety of sample types and methodological techniques.

Aim 2: To provide a large dataset of fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) rRNA sequencing data to complement the bacterial 16S rRNA analysis underway in-house.

Intestinal epithelial cell stress modulates enteric fibroblastic and neuronal profiles in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Neil Chanchlani  © Neil Chanchlani

Background & aim of research

Multiple patient, disease and pharmacokinetic (including anti-TNF drug and antibody concentrations) factors, as well as a limited number of proteomic markers, have been implicated in anti-TNF treatment failure. However, their relative effects and interactions have not been fully explored. We aimed to replicate previously postulated serological markers and to identify novel inflammatory and immune response proteomic markers related to anti-TNF treatment failure in patients with active luminal Crohn’s Disease.

Intestinal epithelial cell stress modulates enteric fibroblastic and neuronal profiles in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

C. Escudero-Hernández © C. Escudero-Hernández

Background & aim of research

This project aimed to understand the effects that crucial IBD epithelial stress factors (i.e. ATG16L1 and XBP1 impairments) might have in enteric fibroblasts and neurons.

Dear IBD Colleagues and Friends, 

Warm greetings from the ECCO News Team!

This year, the entire ECCO Team has again worked hard to organise a top quality meeting, which will take place in the inclusive and welcoming city of Stockholm, home of environmental sustainability! Therefore, we would like to invite all of you to the 19^th Congress of ECCO, to be held from February 21 to 24, 2024.

On this occasion, the ECCO Scientific Programme will be structured around the main topic “Crossing borders in IBD”. We want to cross borders because we are searching, because we want more, because we want to expand our horizons and because we want borderless research in IBD.

Britta Siegmund © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

This is the final edition of ECCO News for 2023. It is an appropriate time to reflect on past activities and look forward to ECCO 2024 “Crossing Boarders” in Stockholm. It is worth noting that at the end of 2023, ECCO has reached a new record number of 4596 members!

The theme of the 2024 congress is “Crossing Boarders”, indicating that ECCO aims to expand its global IBD network. This issue emphasizes two initiatives: the new ECCO Global grant and the recently initiated ECCO Consensus on IBD in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The 2024 congress will discuss and highlight IBD around the world, facilitating network building. The preview of the programme is available here.

Until the year 2016, the probiotic blend sold under the brand name VSL#3® contained the formulation that is known as the De Simone Formulation (DSF). This specific formulation was the subject of extensive scientific research and demonstrated proven efficacy in the management of inflammatory bowel diseases.

For the record, it is imperative to acknowledge that final and non-appealable judgments have been rendered by the United States District Court for the District of Maryland in the year 2019, as well as by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 2021. These judicial determinations mandated the immediate cessation of deceptive advertising practices by the distributors of VSL#3® and awarded damages in the sum of $18 million USD in favor of Professor De Simone and his United States-based entity, Exegi Pharma, LLC. These verdicts carry transnational implications as the product VSL#3® that is distributed both within the United States and internationally is identical. Consequently, the legal conclusions reached by the United States judicial system hold global relevance.

Spyros Siakavellas © Spyros Siakavellas

Dear ECCO friends,

Welcome to this interesting discussion with the ECCO National Representatives of Turkey Nalan Gülsen Ünal and Asli Ormeci. We had a great talk mainly about the challenges of treating IBD in Turkey a country with significant diversity in the circumstances of healthcare but also for telemedicine, holistic care implementation of new developments in our field such as biomarkers and intestinal ultrasound and even more topics!

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Spyros Siakavellas
ECCO News Associate Editor