Funding outcome

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with inflammation of the large intestine, resulting in an array of symptoms, often including tummy pain and bloody diarrhea, as well as growth delay in children. The number of new cases of UC has been increasing in Canada, especially in children. Unfortunately, children have more severe and extensive disease in comparison to adults. Data from the Wine lab and others suggest that gut microbes (mostly bacteria) contribute to the development of UC in children; however, since inflammation can change microbes, it is difficult to figure out whether changes in microbes are a cause or effect of the disease. We hypothesize that microbes in normal-appearing sections, such as the appendix and the area around it, can help answer this question and separate cause from effect. To address this, we will examine the microbes collected from normal sections of the gut in children with ulcerative colitis (and children without UC undergoing colonoscopy) to see whether the bacteria or their products (metabolites) are responsible for the inflammation in affected and unaffected sections of the gut. We will focus specifically on the appendix and the area around it, and other normal (unaffected) sections of the gut. We will be looking at the bacterial DNA sequencing obtained from these samples and examining their ability to invade cells. The results of this project will help identify microbes likely to be involved in UC development, which allows us to develop novel microbe-altering treatments (including diet) and improve care for children with UC.