Research Milestones

In 2018, Dr. Harry Brumer, a biochemist by training, at the University of British Columbia, received an Innovations in IBD research grant from Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. His bold idea? To design a smarter way to deliver medications directly to the gut, while minimizing harmful side effects elsewhere in the body.

A year later, a chance meeting at Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s Fireside Chat networking event changed everything.

There, Dr. Brumer had the chance to connect with Dr. Laura Sly, an immunologist at BC Children’s Hospital. That conversation sparked a powerful collaboration: What if they could harness Dr. Brumer’s new drug delivery technology in Dr. Sly’s animal models used to study inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?

Together, Dr. Brumer and Dr. Sly applied for Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s Grants-In-Aid of Research program and received $375,000 to launch the joint project. The result? A major scientific milestone published in Science, one of the world’s most prestigious scientific journals.

Watch as Dr. Laura Sly shares more about her recent research grant:

A smarter way to target Crohn’s and colitis

One of the biggest challenges in treating Crohn’s and colitis is getting medication to the right place without triggering harmful side effects in the rest of the body.

To solve this, the team developed a technique called “GlycoCaging.”

Here’s how it works:

• Many IBD medications are absorbed too early in the gut, reducing their effectiveness and increasing the risk of side effects.
• Using a plant-based sugar called xyloglucan, the researchers created a protective “sugar cage.”
• Once the caged drug reaches the large intestine, gut bacteria produce enzymes that break down the sugar cage, releasing the drug exactly where it’s needed.

This targeted delivery system was tested in two mouse models of IBD, with impressive results:

• The GlycoCaged drugs worked just as well—or better—than traditional versions.
• They required smaller doses to be effective.
• They caused fewer side effects in tissues outside the gut, such as the lungs.

“This technology has the potential to reduce required drug doses and off-target side effects. We can use GlycoCaging to improve current drugs, re-purpose existing drugs not currently used to treat IBD, or use drugs with known toxicity safely,” shares Dr. Sly.

From Fireside Chat to scientific breakthrough: Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s role

This discovery may never have happened without Crohn’s and Colitis Canada.

The initial Innovations in IBD grant funded the foundational chemistry. A networking event hosted by Crohn’s and Colitis Canada connected two researchers with a shared vision. And the Grants-In-Aid grant program provided the resources to bring the idea to life.

Through these coordinated efforts, a Canadian-born discovery, published in Science, now stands to change how Crohn’s and colitis are treated around the world.

This isn’t just a win for science—it’s a clear reminder of how investment in IBD research leads to better, more targeted care for patients across Canada and beyond.