Sophie Restellini © ECCO

Valerie Pittet © ECCO

Introduction

Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), leading to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), spread exponentially, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a pandemic on March 11 [1]. By August 15, more than 21,000,000 cases and 755,000 deaths had been reported worldwide [2]. People of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

Call for proposal of rare cases now open!

ECCO COllaborative Network For Exceptionally Rare Case Reports (CONFER) is an initiative to identify, assemble and report together rare IBD cases of clinical relevance, which are otherwise seldom reported. By joining forces with the many Members and supporters of ECCO, a joint report of all similar rare cases can result in a large case series that will advance our knowledge about these uncommon patients.

Take your study to the next level with the IBD National Study Group Meeting at the ECCO Congress

Shaji Sebastian  © ECCO

One of the missions of the Clinical Research Committee of ECCO (ClinCom) is to facilitate innovative clinical research in the area of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD).

To promote international scientific collaboration among researchers from different European countries, ClinCom established the IBD National Study Group Meeting, which takes place at the annual ECCO Congress. With this great platform, ClinCom enables investigators to have their studies challenged and promoted at the same time. Before the meeting, investigators are invited to provide a study synopsis for their project, including background, design, objectives, outcome parameters, major inclusion and exclusion criteria, statistics and co-variates. Submitted projects are then reviewed by ClinCom and, if found feasible, discussed during the IBD National Study Group Meeting at the ECCO Congress.

Arshdeep Singh © Arshdeep Singh

ECCO-AOCC Travel Grant Awardee

I accepted the ECCO AOCC Travel Grant 2020 with great pleasure and in all humility. The grant enabled me to visit Helsinki University Central Hospital in Finland between January 13 and March 6, 2020. This gave me the opportunity to increase my knowledge on the management of IBD patients and to gain insight into the faecal microbiota transplant and human microbiome research programme in Finland. At the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (HUS), I attended the IBD clinics and IBD inpatient rounds, which greatly enriched my experience. Further, I learned more about IBD endoscopy, including double-balloon enteroscopy and capsule endoscopy for Crohn’s Disease and faecal microbiota transplant (FMT). I intend to deploy this knowledge at our IBD centre to foster further professional growth.

Comparative accuracy of the standard Lémann index versus the simplified Lémann index for Crohn’s Disease: a prospective observational cohort study

Ferdinando D'Amico © Ferdinando D'Amico

Aim of research

Crohn's Disease (CD) is an idiopathic Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) characterised by transmural inflammation of the affected tracts. The uncontrolled inflammation can lead to bowel damage, defined as the onset of strictures, abscesses or fistulas negatively impacting patients' quality of life and outcomes. The Lémann index (LI) is a recently validated tool that was specifically designed to assess the presence of penetrating or stenosing lesions and to quantify their severity. LI is a complex and time-consuming score which is based on imaging [magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] and endoscopic procedures. Of note, it is mainly used in clinical trials, while its use in clinical practice is limited. Our aim was to develop a simplified LI and to compare the correlation between this simplified LI and the standard LI in assessing bowel damage.

Targeting CD4+ T-cell plasticity in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Andres Machicote © Andres Machicote

Aim of research

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are devastating diseases induced by a breakdown of gut homeostasis, in which CD4⁺ effector T cells are major mediators of the inflammatory response. Interestingly, CD4⁺ effector T cells can convert into regulatory T cells, thereby controlling inflammation. However, the forces driving this T-cell plasticity remain largely unexplored, especially in IBD patients. In this regard, changes in the microbiota that can induce different T-cell profiles are commonly observed during IBD. The present proposal aims to elucidate how CD4⁺ T-cell plasticity can be modulated from a pro-inflammatory towards an anti-inflammatory profile in IBD patients. Our hypothesis is that the microbiota may modulate T cells towards an anti- or pro-inflammatory profile. To address this issue, we aim to analyse T-cell plasticity in IBD patients and mouse IBD models, and to correlate our findings with the microbiota composition. Furthermore, we will study whether antibiotics commonly used to treat IBD affect T-cell plasticity through microbiota-dependent processes.

The 19^th ECCO Intensive Course for Trainees (previously named IBD Intensive Advanced Course) designed for residents, fellows in gastroenterology and junior faculty will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark, on July 7, 2021, immediately prior to our next Congress. We are pleased to inform you that the preliminary programme for this course is already available.

At the 16^th Congress of ECCO in Copenhagen, the Nurses of ECCO (N-ECCO) will host the educational activity for IBD Nurses, N-ECCO School, for the 12^th time. ECCO intends to give nurses, who might be still in training and have an interest in IBD, the possibility to attend an IBD-focused course. The ultimate aim of this programme is to improve nurse education throughout Europe.

The educational programme of the 16^th Congress of ECCO starts prior to the official start of the ECCO Congress and courses take place from July 7-9, 2021. These activities target ECCO’s different interest groups including young gastroenterologists, surgeons, paediatricians, pathologists, IBD Nurses, dietitians, allied health professionals and scientists.

An overview of these activities can be found below. Please note that courses/workshops may run concurrently. As these educational activities have a limited capacity, we encourage you to register at your earliest convenience.

We look forward to seeing you in Copenhagen!

The Scientific Programme of the 16^th Congress of ECCO provides attendees the unique opportunity to learn from the world’s leading specialists in the field of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Held from Thursday to Saturday, July 8-10, 2021, the Scientific Programme is structured around basic science, translational medicine and clinical sessions. Additionally, it includes oral presentations of the 40 best abstracts of the Congress. The focus of all sessions is clinical practice founded on science with practical take home messages and, as every year, the congress registration fee includes access to all scientific sessions.

Register now and seize the opportunity to hear current and relevant studies from international experts in IBD!