Research

What is this Study About?

The IMAGINE Network is currently recruiting healthy individuals along with persons with inMammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Our goal is to recruit 8,000 subjects and will study how three important variables (genes, diet and mental health) impact the gut microbiome and, in turn, how together they impact the disease course.

Who can Participate?

Adults or children with IBD or IBS, or healthy subjects

This study has been approved by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board (REB #3000).

Primary Contact
Aida Fernandes
fernaa19@mcmaster.ca

Principal Investigator
Paul Moayyedi
McMaster University

What is this Study About?

Get involved in rheumatology research being conducted at the University of Cambridge!  

Researchers at the University of Cambridge are conducting groundbreaking research to better understand patient experiences of flares in autoimmune diseases.  

Led by Melanie Sloan, Cambridge academic and patient advocate, and supported by a team of leading experts, this study aims to improve understanding of disease flares to improve early recognition and care.  

Who can Participate?

Participants must be diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and be over 18 years old.

Your Role in this Study

To take part, you need to complete a survey which asks about how you define flares in your disease, what triggers and prevents flares and the order of symptoms in flares. It should take about 45 minutes to complete, and you can pause or stop at any time.   

Everyone who takes part can choose to be entered into a prize draw to win one of four £50 amazon vouchers when the survey closes, which will likely be in early June.   

Please click on this link https://bit.ly/4kOQeyg to take part.  


This study was approved by the University of Cambridge Research Ethics Committee (REB # PRE.2025.009).

Primary Contact
Martha Piper
mp2196@cam.ac.uk

Principal Investigator
Melanie Sloan
University of Cambridge

What is this Study About?

We would like to invite you to participate in this anonymous research survey being conducted by Dr. Vivian Huang (Principal Investigator). This study aims to investigate the experiences of individuals with IBD and the barriers faced in care. Your valuable insights will contribute to a better understanding and we hope to help improve care for women with IBD.

Who can Participate?

We are looking for women who are 18 years of age or older, with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), who are contemplating pregnancy, are currently pregnant, or who have recently had a baby.

Your Role in this Study

This anonymous survey will only take about 15-20 minutes to complete, and can be
completed through the following link: https://form.simplesurvey.com/f/s/IBDPerceptionsReproductiveCare

This study has been approved by the Mount Sinai Hospital Research Ethics Boards (REB #24-0186-E).

Primary Contact
Katie OConnor
Katie.OConnor@sinaihealth.ca

Principal Investigator
Dr. Vivian Huang
Sinai Health System

What is this Study About?

There are multiple treatments in Crohn's disease (CD). Most of the studies approving these drugs include a placebo arm with very few studies to date (SEQUENCE, SEAVUE, VIVID-1) including direct comparisons between drugs. One of the key research questions set out by the UK James Lind Alliance research priority setting partnership scheme is "what is the best treatment or sequence of treatments in Inflammatory Bowel Disease?"

To answer the question of which is the best treatment and which is the best sequence of treatment we have undertaken a network meta-analyses. The evidence (both the direct comparisons, real world data sets and the network-meta-analyses) show that most drugs are very similar in efficacy and it is still hard to decide which is the best treatment in CD. To best answer this question we feel that a multi-arm, multi-intervention strategy (MAMS) trial is needed to compare all present treatments in CD.

Moreover, small cohort studies are suggesting that combination of advanced therapies may be very effective. We plan a multi-arm multi-intervention trial to investigate and compare the efficacy of single and combination advanced therapies in CD.

Who can Participate?

• Adults (over 18 years of age) who have IBD
• Medical professionals
• Nursing professionals
• Pharmacists
• Healthcare service managers and commissioners

Your Role in this Study

We need your help to design this study. Everyones opinion and experiences will be helpful in helping the research team to design this clinical trial. We want to hear from all kinds of people with experiences of CD - including people living with the condition or caring for people who have it.

We are now investigating the opinions, perceptions and expectations of the appropriate population(s), intervention(s) and comparator(s) which should be included in a platform MAMS trial for assessing safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness of advanced therapies in CD. We  want your opinion if and when should combination advanced therapies be used in a research study in CD. The steering committee of this study have undertaken an initial discussion on the trial design for this study.

This study has been approved by the University of Nottingham's Research Ethics Board (REB #FMHS 54-1224).

Primary Contact
Shellie Radford

What is this Study About?

Tulisokibart is an anti-TL1A monoclonal antibody. TL1A is shown to be upregulated in mucosa (colon) and serum (blood) of patients with IBD. Through this process, it has the potential to improve inflammatory and fibrotic diseases related to the immune system.

Who can Participate?

• Individuals 18-75 years of age (inclusive)
• Diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis
• Located in Toronto, ON or is willing to commute to our location for treatment

Your Role in this Study

A phase 2 study was completed with Tulisokibart in patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Majority of the patients included in this study have failed infliximab (Remicade, Humira, etc) and/or vedolizumab (Entyvio). The phase 2 results were positive and demonstrated that patients treated with Tulisokibart were more likely to achieve clinical remission (0-2 more bowel movements than normal and no rectal bleeding), endoscopic improvement (no inflammation or mild inflammation), and clinical response (30% reduction in stool frequency and rectal bleeding) after 12 weeks of treatment compared to patients on placebo. As a result of these positive results, Health Canada, FDA, and EMA approved this phase 3 study.

This Phase 3 Study is placebo controlled with 25% chance of entering the placebo treatment group. However, if at the end of the first 12 weeks you are not responding to the medication (symptoms and inflammation in your colon does not improve), participants will be able to transition to a new group and receive Tulisokibart (no chance of placebo).

This study has been approved by the Advarra Research Ethics Board (REB #Pro00074917).

Primary Contact
Mindy Xu
mxu@tidhi.ca

Principal Investigator
Dr. Mark Silverberg
TIDHI Innovation Inc.

What is this Study about?

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the use of intestinal ultrasound in assessing bowel healing in Crohn’s Disease patients on Entyvio. Participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio of having ultrasound done at baseline, week 14, 22, 30, 38, and 48, compared to just at baseline and week 48.

Who can Participate?

Patients ages 18-80  (inclusive) with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease that has failed less than 2 biologics/small molecules.

Your Role in this Study

Participants will receive Entyvio on the induction regime of 300mg IV at weeks 0, 2, 6, 10, followed by every 8 weeks afterwards.

This study will last approximately 100 weeks and consist of the following:

• Screening Period: up to 4 weeks
• Treatment optimization phase: 48 weeks
• Post-treatment optimization follow-up phase: 48 weeks

Please note: colonoscopies, stool/blood samples, intestinal ultrasounds, and etc are also done as part of the study.

This study has been approved by the Advarra Research Ethics Board (REB #Pro00075825).

Primary Contact
Mindy Xu
mxu@tidhi.ca

Principal Investigator
Dr. Mark Silverberg
TIDHI Innovation Inc.

What is this study about?

The purpose of this study is to understand the genetic factors that might be contributing to inflammatory Bowel Disease in individuals of Black or Hispanic/Latinx ancestries. We hope our findings will help in personalizing treatments for IBD.

Your Role in this Study

Participants will be asked to:

• donate one tablespoon of blood and/or saliva sample
• complete a questionnaire about their IBD history
• provide access to their medical records

Who can Participate?

Participants must:

• Self-identify as African American or Black or;
• Self-identify as Hipanic/Latinx;
• Have been diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis;
• Be willing to donate blood and/or saliva sample;
• Be willing to give the study access to your medical records.

All ages are welcome, and participants must have confirmed (via medical records access) IBD. They will also receive compensation for their time after completing all study procedures. The study is located at the Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON.

This study has been approved by the Mount Sinai Hospital Research Ethics Board (REB# 02-0234-E).

Primary Contact
ibd.research@sinaihealth.ca

Principal Investigator
Mark Silverberg
Mount Sinai Hospital