SciCom
18December2023

Report on the D-ECCO Travel Award 2023

Alicja Ewa Ratajczak-Pawłowska, D-ECCO Travel Award Awardee

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.

Posted in ECCO News, SciCom, Volume 18, Issue 4, Committee News

18December2023

Final Report, ECCO Grant for Margarita Papatheodoridi

Margarita Papatheodoridi, ECCO Grant Awardee

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).

Posted in ECCO News, SciCom, Volume 18, Issue 4, Committee News, Fellowships & Grants Synopsis Reports

18December2023

Final Report, ECCO Grant for Marcus Claesson

Marcus Claesson, ECCO Grant Awardee

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.

Posted in ECCO News, SciCom, Volume 18, Issue 4, Committee News, Fellowships & Grants Synopsis Reports

18December2023

Final Report, ECCO Grant for Neil Chanchlani

Neil Chanchlani, ECCO Grant Awardee

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.

Posted in ECCO News, SciCom, Volume 18, Issue 4, Committee News, Fellowships & Grants Synopsis Reports

18December2023

Final Report, ECCO Grant for Celia Escudero-Hernández

Celia Escudero-Hernández, ECCO Grant Awardee

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.

Posted in ECCO News, SciCom, Volume 18, Issue 4, Committee News, Fellowships & Grants Synopsis Reports

26October2023

ECCO-AOCC Visiting Travel Grant Report: Gabriele Dragoni

Gabriele Dragoni, ECCO-AOCC Visiting Grant Awardee, Y-ECCO Member


Gabriele Dragoni
© ECCO

After repeated postponements due to travel restrictions to Japan, I was able to carry out enteroscopy training at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) Hospital between September and October 2022.

Posted in ECCO News, SciCom, Committee News, Volume 18, Issue 3, Fellowships & Grants Synopsis Reports

26October2023

Final Report, ECCO Grant for Silke Kiessling

Silke Kiessling, ECCO Grant Awardee

Induction of circadian microbial function in chronic intestinal inflammation


Silke Kiessling
© Silke Kiessling

Background & aim of research

Impaired clock gene expression has been observed in biopsies from patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Disruption of circadian rhythms, which occurs in shift workers, has been linked to an increased risk of gastrointestinal diseases, including IBD. The intestinal clock balances gastrointestinal homeostasis by regulating the microbiome. We aimed to characterise intestinal immune functions in mice lacking the intestinal clock and in IBD-relevant mouse models under different feeding conditions in order to assess the functional impact of the intestinal clock in the development of gastrointestinal inflammation.

Posted in ECCO News, SciCom, Committee News, Volume 18, Issue 3, Fellowships & Grants Synopsis Reports

26October2023

Final Report, ECCO Grant for Ho-Su Lee

Ho-Su Lee, ECCO Grant Awardee

Investigating the genetics of IBD multiplex families


Ho-Su Lee
© Ho-Su Lee

Background & aim of research

This research aimed to investigate the genetic architecture of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) multiplex families (including at least three affected first-degree relatives), and to identify the underlying genetic factors that contribute to the familial aggregation of IBD.

Posted in ECCO News, SciCom, Committee News, Volume 18, Issue 3, Fellowships & Grants Synopsis Reports

26October2023

Final Report, ECCO Grant for Sudipto Das

Sudipto Das, ECCO Grant Awardee

Role of DNA methYlation and geNe expression alterations in development of eArly-onset priMary sclerosIng cholangitis in ulCerative colitis – DYNAMIC


Sudipto Das
© Sudipto Das

Background & aim of research

Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) is a progressive choleostatic disease and up to 80% of patients also have Ulcerative Colitis (PSC-UC). This presents a clinical challenge owing to the diagnostic difficulty and the increased risk for development of cancer. The aim of this study was to identify the transcriptomic and epigenetic alterations regulating the phenotype of this disease.

Posted in ECCO News, SciCom, Committee News, Volume 18, Issue 3, Fellowships & Grants Synopsis Reports

26October2023

Final Report, ECCO Grant for Shai Bel

Shai Bel, ECCO Grant Awardee

The role of autophagy in limiting IBD-associated AIEC-induced intestinal inflammation


Shai Bel
© Shai Bel

Background & aim of research

While the aetiology underlying the development of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) is unclear, evidence points to an interaction between host genetics, such as mutations in autophagy genes, and environmental factors, such as bacterial infections. Multiple studies have identified an adherent-invasive Escherichia coli pathotype (AIEC) only in patients with IBD. It is thought that AIEC exploits the intestinal inflammation in patients with IBD to attach to intestinal epithelial cells, intensifying the pre-existing inflammation. Studies in vitro have shown that functional autophagy is crucial to eliminate AIEC infection. Here, we aimed to identify how autophagy protects the host from AIEC-associated pathologies in vivo.

Posted in ECCO News, SciCom, Committee News, Volume 18, Issue 3, Fellowships & Grants Synopsis Reports