Getting the Best Care

Dr. Jean-Francois Beaulieu | Université de Sherbrooke
Research: A mass spectrometry-based stool test to better diagnose and manage IBD
Date: 2019-2020
Amount: $50,000

It remains a clinical challenge to assess IBD because symptoms may often be subtle and atypical. In recent years, non-invasive tests for assessing gastrointestinal inflammation have been used to improve the diagnosis and management of IBD. While fecal calprotectin and lactoferrin are among the best-characterized biomarkers for tracking that inflammation, the search for more specific biomarkers is still very active.

Building on success in colorectal cancer screening, this team proposes an innovative discovery strategy that utilizes mass spectrometry to analyze stool of people with IBD. They will test samples in the context of the fecal calprotectin clinical test at the CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS. They will analyze and process data from 50 samples from patients without IBD, 50 with Crohn’s disease, and 50 with ulcerative colitis using their mass spectrometry technology. They will target the most discriminating biomarkers, and bioinformatic analysis will help establish the specific proteomic signatures for these diseases.