Research

Persons from across Canada are being invited to participate in the IMAGINE research study. The IMAGINE Network is investigating the interactions between inflammation, microbiome, diet and mental health in patient with IBD (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). IMAGINE is also studying whether new therapies (fecal transplants, diet, probiotics, cognitive behaviour therapy) have the potential to transform the management of IBD and IBS and their associated mental health issues.
 
You may be eligible to participate in this study if you have been diagnosed by your physician with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease, or are a healthy individual without gastrointestinal symptoms.

Visit www.imaginespor.com for more information and to find a recruitment site near you.

The PedCRaFT (peditric Crohn’s Disease Fecal Microbiota Transplant) Trial is the first Health Canada approved randomized-control fecal transplant study for Pediatric Crohn’s disease in Canada.

Study involves:
i) Colonoscopy-initial baseline colonoscopy under anesthesia, where you will receive an infusion via colonoscopy of either healthy bacteria or a normal saline placebo.
ii) Oral Capsule-2x week for 6 weeks, you will receive pill capsules that may be taken at home. Pill capsules will either contain healthy bacteria or sugar-containing placebo.

We will ask you to provide:
1.) Bloodwork
2.) Urine Samples
3.) Stool samples
4.) Complete a 6-Question survey

This study has been approved by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board.

Who is eligible?
Children between ages 3 to 17 diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or IBD-U favouring Crohn’s disease (as identified by your physician) on a stable therapy (no major changes to medication within the last four weeks).

To participate, please contact:
Lee Hill, BSc (Med)(Hons), PhD (c) hill.lee.devlin@gmail.com  
The PediCRaFT Research Team at PediCRaftTrial@gmail.com
Phone: 514-443-8488

Principal Investigator:
Dr Nikhil Pai
Division of Pediatric GI and Nutrition McMaster Children's Hospital

The Exclusive Enteral Nutrition (EEN) in Crohn’s Disease study is the first clinical study to investigate the combined use of a nutritional formula with Corticosteriods (CS) in order to decrease the activity of Crohn’s Disease (CD) and improve quality of life. Exclusive Enteral Nutrition has been used to induce remission in pediatric cases of Crohn’s Disease, however its use in adults is much less studied. This is the first pilot study to assess the use of EEN together with CS as a means of inducing remission in adults. We think EEN+CS will be more effective than CS alone in inducing remission and that a short course of CS in tandem with nutritional formula will have a similar efficacy than the standard course of CS, with a reduced number of adverse events. We also would like to test whether nutritional formula will lead to beneficial changes in the intestinal bacteria, gastrointestinal transit and inflammatory burden.

Who is Eligible?
Adults ages 18-75 diagnosed with CD who are flaring and are about to start Prednisone prescribed by their doctor.

Who is Not Eligible?
Unfortunately, we are not able to accept patients with the following criteria:
-Treated with antibiotics or probiotics in the last 30 days
- Used prednisone in the last 30 days
- Currently using EEN
- Short Gut
- Started or changed immunosuppressant or biologic medication in the last 90 days
- Started or changed 5-ASA medication in last 30 days
- Pregnancy or lactation

For more information about the study and what to expect if you are able to participate, please see the brochure here.

Principal Investigator Dr. Ines Pinto-Sanchez, McMaster University
This study has been reviewed by the HiREB.

To participate, please contact
Teresa Balart, MD
Phone: 905-525-9140 ext 22278
Email: balartm@mcmaster.ca

The Family Health Lab at University of Saskatchewan is currently conducting an online study looking at the relationship between emotions and IBD-related symptoms in teens with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Who is eligible to participate?
Teens ages 14 to 18 who have been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease who has a parent that will provide consent for the teen to participate.

To register for the study or for more information, please contact:
Lana McAleer
Email: lmm249@mail.usask.ca
Phone: 306-966-5616

Teens and parents able to participate are eligible to enter a draw to win one of three $50 gift cards.

This research is looking at the experiences of young women living with an ostomy as a result of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, looking at the decision-making process up to surgery and actual lived experience of having an ostomy. If you are interested in participating an interview will be arranged at your convenience and take approximately one to two hours.  

Who is eligible?  
Young women between 19-25 living with an ostomy for any length of time.

Interested in participating? Contact Ashley Cark 
Email clarkash@uvic.ca 
Phone 1-250-812-8908

Researcher:
Ashley Clark MA,
University of Victoria, Social Dimensions of Health.

Supervisor/Primary Investigator:
Dr. Andre Smith
Associate Professor, Sociology, University of Victoria.

The human body contains ten bacterial cells for every human cell. This vast, largely unexplored bacterial community, known as the microbiome, has been linked to gastrointestinal health and disease. In the case of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), it is thought that the immune system may be responding inappropriately to the microbiome. Therefore, it has been hypothesized that changing the microbiome may be an effective treatment for IBD. One way to accomplish this is using Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT), an innovative investigational treatment that has proven effective in the treatment of C. difficile infection.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether FMT is similarly safe and effective in the treatment of mild-to-moderate Crohn’s disease. During FMT, a fecal preparation from a carefully screened, healthy stool donor is transplanted into the colon of the patient. There are multiple routes of administration. We will use both in this study. 

Patients will receive a total of eight FMT/placebo treatments in the study. Patients receiving FMT will be assigned a single donor. The first will be given by colonoscopy at week zero, followed by seven others given by capsules taken by mouth each week. At week eight, patients are unblinded and a follow up colonoscopy is performed. Patients who were initially randomized to placebo can go on to have FMT in the open label phase of the study.
 
Who is eligible to participate?
Patients with mild to moderate Crohn’s disease
Recruiting 126 patients at three Canadian centres (Edmonton, Calgary and Hamilton)
 
To register for this study or for more information, please contact:

Edmonton Contacts
Dr. Dina Kao: dkao@ualberta.ca
Dr. Gina Vavek: gina.vavek@albertahealthservices.ca
Phone: 780-492-5313
 
Calgary Contacts
Dr. Humberto Jijon: Humberto.jijon2@ucalgary.ca
Gurmeet Bindra: gkbindra@ucalgary.ca
Phone: 403-210-7013 or 403-399-9790
 
Hamilton Contact
Melanie Wolfe: wolfe@hhsc.ca

Do you have Crohn's or Colitis? Are you between 16-21 years old?

Seeking individuals diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease to participate in an online study looking at what promotes and diminishes quality of life of teens and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease. We will be offering a chance for a e-gift card for some lucky winners. Participants must be from the ages of 16 to 21 years of age and fluent in English. The study involves completing 3 online surveys over the course of 2 months. 

To learn more and participate, please click on the following link:
 https://queensu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9LAPoqN3gypvb7v 

This study has been approved by The Queen's University Health Sciences and Affiliated Teaching Hospitals Research Ethics Board (HSREB)

To find out more information about this study, please contact:

Dr. Dean A. Tripp
Associate Professor in the departments of Psychology, Anesthesiology and Urology
Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario 
Email: dean.tripp@queensu.ca

Julia Moreau and Adam Sunavsky
Department of Psychology
Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
Julia Moreau Email: 14jmm11@queensu.ca

Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) may undergo colectomy due to a variety of reasons. Ileal-pouch anal anastomosis is often offered to these patients. Unfortunately the pouch commonly develops inflammation, known as pouchitis, which is the most common complication of this procedure and occurs in approximately 50% of patients, with the majority of these patients having multiple episodes.

Enrolling now for Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT) for Patients with Active Pouchitis. The study focuses on use of fecal microbiota transplantation for treatment of pouchitis. The study objectives are to learn about a) if alteration of the microbiota in pouchitis helps improve disease symptoms; and b) understand the changes that occur in the gut bacteria during fecal transplantation. This is a randomized controlled trial of fecal microbiota transplantation versus placebo for treatment of pouchitis.

Who can participate?
1. Be 18 or over and be able to give informed consent.
2. Have symptoms of active pouchitis.
3. Have evidence of active pouchitis in screening pouchoscopy.

Qualified Participants Receive:
1. Study-related care from gastroenterologist including screening pouchoscopy and final pouchoscopy.
2. Once weekly FMT enemas for at least 6 weeks.
3. Compensation for parking.

This study has been reviewed by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board. Project ID #4702. 

To register for this study or for more information, please contact:
Mr. Peter Habashi: habashp@hhsc.ca

The number of COVID-19 cases has increased rapidly in the past few days and several emergency measures have been taken at the national and international levels to prevent transmission of the virus.

The aim of this project is to study the level of knowledge related to the pandemic, the perception of the risk of being contaminated, the prevention measures taken by adolescents and young adults, and the impact on their life.

Who can participate? You can help us if you:
1. A teenager or young adult between 14 and 22 years old residing in Canada
2. Be able to read and write French or English.
3. Have access to the internet to complete the questionnaire.

If you are interested in completing the online survey, please enter this link into your web browser. https://jantchou.com/covid19world/

What's in it for you?
This questionnaire will allow you to assess your level of knowledge about COVID-19 and we will provide you more information about this. Answers will be available at the end of the questionnaire. You will also help us improve prevention measures for the COVID-19 for adolescents and young adults.

This study has been approved by the CHU Sainte-Justine, Montréal, Québec, Ethics Board (REB# 2020-2864)

To find out more information about this study or to volunteer, please contact:
Xin Yu Yang
Email: jantchoulab@gmail.com

Principal Investigator: Prévost JANTCHOU, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A
Associate Professor, Gastro-Hépatologie et Nutrition Pédiatriques
CHU Sainte-Justine, Montréal (Qc), Canada

Are you someone living with chronic conditions who can tell us which self-management questions are good to ask?

We are conducting an anonymous and confidential online survey that asks different self-management questions. Input from the survey will help us design the questionnaire to assess patients’ ability to live with chronic health conditions.

The aim of the study is to improve chronic condition management by developing a patient-centred measure of chronic condition self-management that will become the primary tool for both clinical care and research.

Eligibility:

1. Must be 18 years of age or older and have access to internet
2. Live with 1 or more chronic conditions (includes mental and physical)
3. Must be able to read/speak English

Qualified Participants Receive:
You will have the chance to enter your email address to be entered in a draw to win one of four $100 Amazon gift cards.

To learn more and participate, please click on the following link (The study is in English only):
https://surveys.dal.ca/opinio/s?s=55372​

The study has been approved by the Nova Scotia Health Authority Research Ethics Board #1025263

To find out more information about this study or to volunteer, please contact:
Email: prismcc@dal.ca

Principal Investigator: Dr. Tanya Packer
School of Occupational Therapy, Dalhousie University

You are being invited to participate in a completely anonymous research study because you have had Inflammatory Bowel Disease (‘IBD’; either Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis) and may be contemplating pregnancy, are currently pregnant or have recently been pregnant. This survey is part of a larger registry study currently being conducted by Sinai Health System. 

The aim is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on IBD patients in relation to pregnancy. Participation in this study will involve the completion of an one time, anonymous questionnaire online and the expected time involved is 15-20 minutes.

Who can participate? You can help us if you: 
1. Are considering pregnancy, are pregnant, or recently pregnant,
2. Are interested to provide your anonymous insight on the impact of COVID-19 on IBD and pregnancy.

If you are interested in completing the online survey, please enter this link into your web browser. https://ddcrc.mshri.on.ca/NoviSurvey/n/zzzsc.aspx

This study has been approved by the Mount Sinai Hospital Research Ethics Board (REB# 19-0310-E)

To find out more information about this study or to volunteer, please contact:
Email: HuangIBDclinic@sinaihealth.ca

Principal Investigator:  Dr. Vivian Huang 
Contact Information: 416-586-4800 ext 2475 

You are being invited to participate in a completely anonymous research study because you have had Inflammatory Bowel Disease (‘IBD’; either Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis) and may be contemplating pregnancy, are currently pregnant or have recently been pregnant. This survey is part of a larger registry study currently being conducted by Sinai Health System. 

The aim is to assess the thoughts of IBD patients, specifically surrounding pain management, IBD and pregnancy. Participation in this study will involve the completion of a anonymous questionnaire, either in person or online and the expected time involved is 15-20 minutes.

If you are interested in completing the online survey, please enter this link into your web browser. https://ddcrc.mshri.on.ca/NoviSurvey/n/zzzud.aspx

This study has been approved by the Mount Sinai Hospital Research Ethics Board (REB# 19-0309-E)

To find out more information about this study or to volunteer, please contact:
Email: HuangIBDclinic@sinaihealth.ca

Principal Investigator:  Dr. Vivian Huang 
Contact Information: 416-586-4800 ext 2475

Self-care has been linked to improving symptom management and quality of life for individuals with inflammatory bowel disease however; limited research has been conducted focusing on adults with inflammatory bowel disease and their meaning of self-care in Northeastern Ontario. Therefore, the purpose of this research will be to explore the lived experiences of adults with inflammatory bowel disease and their meaning of self-care in Northeastern Ontario to examine what self-care strategies improve quality of life and symptom management for this particular population.

Who can participate? You can help us if you: 
1. Live in Northern Ontario 
2. Have Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis for over 2 years
3. Do not have any other diseases of the digestive system (IBS, GERD, Celiac disease) 
4. Can speak and read English

This study has been approved by the Laurentian University Research Ethics Board (REB# 6020691)

If you agree to participate, you will be asked to complete an interview that will take approximately 1 hour of your time.

To find out more information about this study or to volunteer, please contact:
Kelsey Lefebvre (MSc Nursing Student)
Phone: 1-705-221-4909
Email: klefebvre@laurentian.ca

Supervisors:  Dr. Craig Duncan & Professor Irene Koren

Were you diagnosed with pediatric-onset Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis? Are you a parent or caregiver to someone transitioning from pediatric IBD care to adult IBD care? If so, we are interested in hearing from you! As part of research being conducted through our Promoting Access and Care through Centres of Excellence (PACE) Network (https://crohnsandcolitis.ca/PACE), Crohn’s and Colitis Canada will be conducting a series of 1 hour web-based focus groups to learn more about what you feel are important elements for transition care for adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease. For example, an important element for you might be establishing care in a centre able to provide comprehensive care; for someone else, it might be finding an adult provider close to home.

We’re hoping to generate some interesting and informative discussions that cover a range of aspects you think of when you reflect on how you are doing in terms of transitioning from pediatric to adult care, as you manage your Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

Date: Thursday, September 12, 2019
Time: 3-4 PM EST for young people living with Crohn’s or colitis
           4-5PM EST for parents/caregivers of young people living with Crohn’s or colitis
Location: Via webconference

OR

Date: Saturday, September 14, 2019
Time: 11AM-12PM EST for young people living with Crohn’s or colitis
           12-1PM EST for parents/caregivers of young people living with Crohn’s or colitis
Location: Via webconference

Please RSVP to Jacqueline de Guzman at jdeguzman@crohnsandcolitis.ca or by calling (416) 920-5035 ext. 234.

This initiative (#REB 2019-0106-E) was formally reviewed and approved by institutional authorities at Women’s College Hospital.

Principal Investigators:
Dr. Natasha Bollegala 
Division of Gastroenterology, Women’s College Hospital
Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, University of Toronto

Dr. Nancy Fu 
Clinical Assistant Professor University of British Columbia
Division of Gastroenterology, Richmond General Hospital
 

Canada has one of the highest reported incidence and prevalence rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in the world with 1 out of every 150 Canadians diagnosed with IBD. Some research shows higher than normal levels of hydrogen sulfide in people with UC and we want to try and decrease these levels using the food you eat. This may help improve how healthy your intestine is. 

We are doing this study to try and figure out if we can decrease the amount of hydrogen sulfide you produce in your gut and if this helps improve your UC over 8 weeks. We want to see if we can improve the well-being of patients by using a special diet. We will ask people with UC who are eligible to join the study meet with a registered dietitian (RD) who will help you design a diet that works for you and your life over the next 8 weeks. We will then compare people who change their diet to people who do not change their diet. We hope people who use the special diet will improve their ulcerative colitis.

Who can participate? You can help us if you: 
1. Patients 18 - 80years in Calgary
2. Able to provide informed consent 
3. Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) who are experiencing a mild or moderate UC flare or UC in remission

We will need you to come to the clinic to meet with the study coordinator three times. Each patient will receive a $25 gift card to cover parking costs for visits to the Foothills. Each meeting will be for 30-50 minutes. At this meeting, you will be asked to fill out some surveys, do some blood work, a urine tests, and bring in a stool sample. 

This study has been approved by Conjoint Health Research Ethics Board (CHREB) at the University of Calgary (REB# 16-2491_REN3)

To find out more information about this study or to volunteer, please contact:

Research coordinator: Munazza Yousuf
Phone: 403-592-5231
Email: ascend@ucalgary.ca 

Principal Investigator:  Dr. Maitreyi Kothandaraman

Many patients with IBD believe diet impacts their symptoms and course of their disease. There are very few research studies that have looked at the impact of diet on IBD, so at the present time it is difficult for health professionals to provide nutrition advice based on scientific evidence. Very little is known about how diet in patients with IBD impacts symptoms, the immune system and the bacteria in the intestine. We are inviting YOU to join us in a study of diet in patients with UC. We want to find out if diet has an impact on symptoms, intestinal bacteria and the immune system in UC. 

Who can participate? You can help us if you: 
1. Are at least 18 years of age
2. Patients with ulcerative colitis (UC)

Study Sites: Kelowna (Okanagan area), Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax

This study has been approved by The University of British Columbia Clinical Research Ethics Board (REB# H16-03300)

To find out more information about this study or to volunteer, please contact:

Research coordinator: Natasha Haskey
Phone: 778-583-1982
Email: natasha.haskey@ubc.ca

Principal Investigator: Dr. Deanna Gibson

Our project aims to understand the experience of transitioning from pediatric to adult care from the perspective of patients, caregivers, and health care providers. As a current or former pediatric patient with experience transitioning from pediatric to adult care or as a caregiver whose child is being cared for by at least one pediatric specialist or who has had a child transferred to adult care within the past 3 years, you are invited to participate in this study. 

Participation in this study involves attending a virtual focus group. During the focus group a research team member will ask you questions about your experience of and barriers and enablers to transitioning from pediatric to adult care. 

Participation in this study will take approximately one hour of your time. 

Who can participate? Participants in this study, must either be or have experience caring for a patient diagnosed with one of three conditions of focus: Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Diabetes, or Juvenile Idiopathic Rheumatoid Arthritis.

What is in it for you?
In appreciation of your time commitment, you will be invited to enter a draw to win 1 of 3 $100 Visa gift cards.

This study has been approved by IWK Research Ethics Board (Project #:1026111).

To find out more information about this study or to volunteer, please contact:

Research Assistant: Liam Rowe 
Email: Liam.Rowe@NSHealth.ca

Principal Investigator: Dr. Christine Cassidy (Dalhousie University) and Jackie Pidduck (IWK Health Centre)

Considering the changes to healthcare access that occurred during the pandemic and its potential impact, the goal of this study is to survey IBD patients and determine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their care. We will attempt to gauge whether there were any concerns with compliance with regards to medical treatments during this period of time, and patient factors that may have led to a lack of compliance. In doing so, we hope to ascertain whether telemedicine is an effective tool in providing follow up care when compared to in-person visits. 

We will also attempt to understand whether there was a change in the access to care that participants had during this period of time. This includes asking about hospital admissions, appointment cancellations, and ER visits. Lastly, through the feedback from IBD patients, we may be able to limit future barriers to care by acknowledging systemic and patient factors that delay access to investigations and therapies.

Who can participate?
1. Participants over the age of 18
2. Diagnosis of Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis

To participate, please click on the following link:
 https://redcap.lawsonresearch.ca/surveys/?s=HTKF7C4YY9

This study has been approved by The Western University Health Sciences Research Ethics Board (REB# 116407)

To find out more information about this study or to volunteer, please get in touch with:
Research Contact: Dr. Gurpreet Malhi
Email: gurpreet.malhi@lhsc.on.ca

Principal Investigator:  Dr. Aze Wilson

This study is part of a global research effort to follow IBD patients at infusion centers around the world. We will measure the baseline prevalence of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, exposure by antibody testing (involves taking a blood sample) and follow with scheduled testing (blood sample at each of the visits) every 8 weeks over a 48-week period.

Through analysis of clinical data and patients’ social behaviors(questionnaire), we will be able to identify social, treatment-related, and biological factors that determine whether patients acquire mild, asymptomatic, or severe disease. This study could lead to improvements in understanding the effects of medications and viral infections in IBD and help on future pandemic preparations and epidemiological studies.

Who can participate? 
1. Participants 18 years or older
2. Been diagnosed by your physician with IBD (Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, IBD-U)
3. Currently receiving treatment for IBD with Infliximab, other biologics or Vedolizumab
4. May or may not been diagnosed with COVID-19. 

This study has been approved by the Mount Sinai Hospital Research Ethics Board (REB# 20-0217-E)

To find out more information about this study or to volunteer, please get in touch with:

Research Coordinator: Raquel Milgrom
Email: Raquel.Milgrom@sinaihealth.ca

Principal Investigator:  Dr. Mark Silverberg