Second PIONEER Grant awarded
Toronto, ON — December 4, 2024 – A study examining the benefits of combining nutritional therapy and biologic drugs in children newly diagnosed with Crohn’s disease will receive a $1 million PIONEER Grant.
This grant recipients are University of British Columbia researchers Dr. Kevan Jacobson and Dr. Genelle Lunken, who will seek to improve the effectiveness of using a biologic drug (a complex drug made from a living organism) by adding a nutritional therapy to help control inflammation, potentially reducing the amount of medication needed.
Nutritional therapy includes avoiding foods that can damage the gut along with exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN), a liquid nutritional formula taken by mouth or by placing a tube in the nose or gut. This therapy is helpful, but once it stops, gut inflammation often returns.
Another aspect of the study is identifying the bacteria present in the intestine before starting the diet and then tracking how these bacteria respond to the combination therapy. Insights could lead to using specific bacteria to identify what would be the right therapy for specific patients.
Dr. Jacobson said: “Dr. Lunken and I are honoured to receive this grant to assist in important pediatric research. Our research is designed to provide critical evidence on how diet can interact with medication to improve treatment outcomes, ultimately leading to better quality of life for our young patients.”
About PIONEER Grants and CIRC
The $1 million PIONEER Grants support high-quality Canadian clinical research to improve patient outcomes and quality of life for those living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). They are funded by the Canadian Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Consortium (CIRC), which is supported by Takeda Canada, Pfizer Canada, and AbbVie Canada. CIRC has grown to include more than 70 gastroenterologists in Canada who collaborate on multicentre clinical research. It was created in 2017 to attract and facilitate clinical studies in Canada by creating a collaborative network of clinician scientists and financial support for research.
About Crohn’s and colitis and children
More than 322,000 people in Canada live with Crohn’s or colitis and an estimated 470,000 will by 2035. These diseases can be diagnosed at any age, but the typical age of onset is early adulthood, typically between age 20-29. Unfortunately, the number of new diagnoses is rising most rapidly in children under the age of six years old. There are few treatment options for them.
Crohn’s and colitis cause the body to attack healthy tissue in the bowels, which causes inflammation of all or part of the gastrointestinal tract. The most common symptoms include severe abdominal pain, nausea, fatigue, internal bleeding, and an unpredictable and urgent need to use the washroom.
About Crohn’s and Colitis Canada
We are on a relentless journey to cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and improve the quality of life of everyone affected by these diseases. Follow us at crohnsandcolitis.ca, @getgutsycanada on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, and at Crohn’s and Colitis Canada on YouTube and LinkedIn.
For media inquiries, contact:
Paul Kilbertus
Senior Manager, Communications and Public Relations, Crohn's and Colitis Canada
pkilbertus...crohnsandcolitis...ca
647-567-4690
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