Naila Arebi © ECCO

The cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv served as the location for the 61^st ECCO Educational Workshop. On the 12 June, over 100 delegates from across Israel attended this interactive and productive workshop, which also offered plenty of opportunities for networking over coffee and lunch breaks.

Henit Yanai © ECCO

The 18th ECCO IBD Intensive Advanced Course, Vienna 2020

The European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) brings together national groups and individuals interested in different aspects of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). One of ECCO’s core aims is to promote education in the field of IBD and thereby improve the quality of care for IBD patients throughout Europe.

The annual ECCO IBD Intensive Advanced Course was initiated in 2003 with the general aim of providing advanced fellows and junior faculty in gastroenterology with a multidisciplinary broad base of knowledge in IBD. The course consists of lectures and workshops dealing with controversial areas of IBD pathogenesis, diagnosis and management, delivered by leading experts in the field of IBD.

2nd ECCO-ESGAR Basic Imaging Workshop 

Marietta Iacucci  © ECCO

Christian Maaser © ECCO

In 2020 the Educational Programme at the ECCO Congress will again include two combined workshops devoted to IBD imaging. The first will be centered on basic endoscopy, ultrasound and MRI while the second will focus on advancements in intestinal ultrasound. Both workshops will be possible thanks to the extensive cooperation of gastroenterologists with experience in intestinal imaging from ECCO and our partner societies (ESGAR).

The 2^nd ECCO-ESGAR Basic Imaging Workshop will educate attendees in how to make a precise diagnosis and how to better direct the therapeutic management of IBD patients using the latest imaging technologies. It is designed for gastroenterologists, endoscopists, surgeons, paediatricians, pathologists and other interdisciplinary medical experts interested in diagnostic imaging and endoscopy of Inflammatory Bowel Disease(s) (IBD). The course has been successful and highly requested in the past few years, and we have decided to run the course twice on the same day this year to enable more participants to attend.

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

Uri Kopylov © ECCO

The Clinical Research Committee of ECCO (ClinCom) was established with the mission of facilitating innovative clinical research in the area of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD). It acts as an organ for the delivery of advice on investigator-initiated proposals: Throughout the year, investigators who are also ECCO Members are invited to submit their protocols for an objective and in-depth review process by the Committee. 

In order to promote international scientific collaboration through cooperation of researchers from different European countries even further, ClinCom has established the IBD National Study Group Meeting, which will take place at the annual ECCO Congress. At the last ECCO Congress in Copenhagen, representatives of IBD National Study Groups gathered for the 4^th edition of the meeting. With this great platform, ClinCom enables investigators to have their studies challenged and promoted at the same time.

The role of fibroblasts in the pathogenesis of Crohn’s Disease-associated fistulas and in mesenchymal stem cell therapy  

Ramona Bruckner © Ramona Bruckner

Aim of the research

Perianal fistulas are a severe and frequent complication in Crohn’s Disease (CD) patients, significantly affecting their quality of life. High recurrence rates, incomplete fistula healing and non-responding patients make the treatment challenging. Despite some novel insights, current knowledge about the pathogenesis of fistula formation is still limited. Fibroblasts are abundantly present in fistulas and were recently reported to regulate Th1 cell activity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Our hypothesis is that fibroblasts act as the key drivers of this disease complication by regulating inflammatory cell recruitment. We will investigate which pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemoattractants are produced by fistula-derived fibroblasts and how they influence recruitment of immune cells, leading to sustained inflammation. Our second hypothesis is that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can normalise this fibroblast-driven pro-inflammatory environment.

PTPN2 and TiO2 in the pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease  

Aim of the research

Titanium dioxide (TiO2) may play a pivotal role in the onset and perpetuation of chronic intestinal inflammation. These effects may be genetically triggered, and variations in IBD risk genes, such as PTPN2, may contribute critically to the detrimental effect of TiO2 in vivo. For these reasons, we will study the combined effects of the presence of disease-associated genetic PTPN2 variations and TiO2 microparticles on the development of chronic intestinal inflammation and on inflammasome activity, as well as the subsequent consequences for the host immune system, in particular innate immune responses. The study will demonstrate the relevance of TiO2 in the pathogenesis of intestinal inflammation in vivo. To address the aforementioned aims, we will:

1. Analyse whether PTPN2-mediated inflammasome activation can control TiO2-induced intestinal inflammation.
2. Demonstrate whether the presence of the disease-associated PTPN2 variant affects NLRP3 inflammasome activation and intestinal inflammatory responses to TiO2 in IBD patients.

The educational programme of the 15^th Congress of ECCO starts prior to the official start of the ECCO Congress and courses take place from February 12-14, 2020. 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 Vienna!

The Scientific Programme of the 15^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, February 13-15, 2020, 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!

Silvio Danese © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

Research and education are priorities in the ECCO Community. Autumn is a great time for exciting new ECCO events and is the perfect time to start planning your attendance at the ECCO’20 Congress in Vienna.

Considering the success of the ECCO-ESGAR Basic Imaging Workshop at ECCO’19, I am happy to announce that the 2^nd ECCO-ESGAR Basic Imaging Workshop will be held during ECCO’20. The focus of this workshop will be the latest imaging technologies in IBD.

Education can also be achieved through intense collaborative projects. The 18^th ECCO IBD Intensive Advanced Course will take place during ECCO’20 and will provide a multidisciplinary broad base of knowledge in IBD. Moreover, the 5^th IBD National Study Group Meeting will also be held during ECCO’20, enabling investigators to have their studies challenged and promoted at the same time.

Norway

Name of group: The Norwegian IBD Group

Number of active members: The Norwegian IBD Group is organised within the Norwegian Gastroenterology Association (Norsk GastroenterologiskForening NGF). The Norwegian Gastroenterology Association has 370 active members. The IBD Group consists of 8 members elected at the Norwegian Gastroenterology Association general assembly (four members elected every second year). Approximately 100 members are active within IBD care.

Additionally,the Norwegian Nurses Organization includes a group for Gastroenterology Nurses (NSF/FSG) with 439 active members, of whom approximately 100 IBD Nurses. There is no formal IBD Nurse network but NSF/FSG arranges a yearly national IBD symposium for nurses interested in IBD.

Number of meetings per year: The IBD Group arranges a national IBD symposium annually. The Norwegian Gastroenterology Association has one national conference and one to two regional meetings in the five different health regions in Norway per year. The NSF/FSG arranges a yearly national IBD symposium for nurses interested in IBD.

President and Secretary:President the Norwegian Gastroenterology Association is Mette Vesterhus, associate professor at Haraldsplass Hospital in Bergen. Petr Ricanek MD, PhD at Akershus university hospital, is head of the IBD Group

National Representatives:Marte Lie Høivik MD PhD at Oslo University Hospital and Kristin Kaasen Jørgensen, MD PhD at Akershus university hospital. Elisabeth Finnes, IBD nurse specialist at Oslo University Hospital is the Norwegian representative in N-ECCO.

Joined ECCO in: 2005

Incidence of IBD in the country: There are no updated incidence numbers available in Norway. According to data from the IBSEN study the UC incidence was 12,8/100.000 persons/year and CD incidence 6/100.000 persons per year in the early nineties. We are awaiting updated incidence data from the ongoing IBSEN III study within 2020.