Français

It's about time

For too long, people living with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis have lost precious time.

Time waiting for a diagnosis. Time cycling through treatments that don't work. Time spent in pain, in hospital beds, and away from the people and moments that matter most.

It's about time we changed that.

Today, a new era of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care is within reach. Through groundbreaking advances in precision medicine, researchers can begin to predict which treatments will work best for each individual patient, helping people get the right care sooner and avoid the devastating cycle of trial and error. Crohn's and Colitis Canada's IBD Precision Medicine Research Program is leading this transformation, and with your support, we can bring the next breakthrough closer.

Help fund the next breakthrough.

Donate Now →

What is precision medicine?

Healthcare has traditionally taken a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Precision medicine changes that.

Precision medicine uses information such as a person's genetics, biomarkers, immune response, microbiome, environment, and lifestyle factors to better understand their disease and identify the treatments most likely to help them.

For people living with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, precision medicine could mean:

A person living with IBD sitting on their kitchen counter and thinking

Faster, more accurate diagnosis

An IBD patient with fatigue lying in bed

Earlier intervention before disease worsens

A person hopeful for new IBD treatments walking through their home

Treatments tailored to the individual         ​       ​

A person living with IBD sitting on a hospital bed awaiting their gastroenterologist

Fewer ineffective medications and side effects​

An older man with IBD hopeful for better disease management and monitoring

Better disease monitoring and management​

A happy young girl playing with her mother

A future where IBD may be prevented before it begins 

Instead of asking patients to endure months or years of trial-and-error treatment, precision medicine has the potential to deliver the right treatment at the right time.

Introducing the IBD Precision Medicine Research Program

Crohn's and Colitis Canada is launching Canada's first national research initiative dedicated to advancing precision medicine for IBD.

The IBD Precision Medicine Research Program will bring together leading researchers, clinicians, and innovators across the country to develop tools that can transform how Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are diagnosed, treated, monitored, and ultimately prevented.

The program is focused on accelerating innovations such as:

A happy family playing with their young baby girl

Earlier diagnosis
Developing biomarker-based tests using blood, stool, and other biological samples that could help diagnose IBD faster and more accurately.

A physician speaking to her patient

Personalized treatment
Identifying genetic, microbial, and biological markers that help predict which medications will work best for each patient.

A young girl playing at being an airplane

Smarter disease monitoring
Using real-time patient data and digital health tools to detect changes earlier and guide treatment decisions before symptoms worsen.

A person tying their shoe and happy to be able to go outside and not feel like they need to stay in

Prevention and prediction
Advancing research that could identify people at highest risk of developing IBD and create interventions that prevent disease before it starts. 

Why it's about time

It's about time is more than a campaign. It's a rallying cry for everyone who believes people living with Crohn's and colitis deserve better.

A strong, confident woman leading the charge for Precision Medicine

For decades, progress in IBD care has not kept pace with the realities faced by patients.

It's about time to end try-and-fail treatments.

It's about time to make IBD more predictable.

It's about time to stop flare-ups before they start.

It's about time prevention changed the story for IBD.

Most of all, it's about time that people living with IBD get more time back for life.

What your gift can do

Your donation doesn't just support a single research project.

It helps build a coordinated national effort to accelerate discovery, attract additional research investment, and move promising breakthroughs from the laboratory into patient care.

With your support, we can:

  • Reduce the time it takes to diagnose IBD
  • End the cycle of trial-and-error treatments
  • Unlock personalized approaches to care
  • Improve quality of life for people living with Crohn's and colitis
  • Move closer to preventing IBD altogether

Every breakthrough begins with research.
Every discovery starts with support.

Help fund the next breakthrough

Precision medicine is transforming healthcare around the world. Together, we can ensure people living with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis aren't left waiting.

Make your gift today.

A couple looking at a beautiful sunset

Donate now

A future worth fighting for

Imagine a future where a young person experiencing symptoms receives an accurate diagnosis sooner.

Where doctors can identify the treatment most likely to work before months or years are lost.

Where flare-ups can be predicted and prevented.

Where people spend less time managing disease and more time living their lives.

That future is possible.

It’s about time for precision medicine.