Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet © ECCO

Dear ECCO Friends,

Research and education are priorities in the ECCO Community. Autumn is a great time for exciting new ECCO events and is the perfect time to start planning your attendance at the ECCO’23 Congress in Copenhagen – where we finally meet again in person. After two years of online Congress meetings, ECCO’23 will be hopefully again face to face, providing great opportunities for networking with ‘old’ friends and establishing new links and collaborations.

The Educational Programme of the 18^th Congress of ECCO starts prior to the official start of the ECCO Congress and courses take place from March, 1-3, 2023. These activities target ECCO’s different interest groups including young gastroenterologists, surgeons, paediatricians, pathologists, IBD Nurses, dietitians, allied health professionals and scientists.

An overview of these activities can be found below. Please note that courses/workshops may run concurrently. As these educational activities have a limited capacity, we encourage you to register at your earliest convenience. Please note the Educational activities take place only onsite in Copenhagen.

The Scientific Programme of the 18^th Congress of ECCO provides attendees the unique opportunity to learn from the world’s leading specialists in the field of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. Held from Thursday to Saturday, March, 2-4, 2023, the Scientific Programme is structured around basic science, translational medicine and clinical sessions. Additionally, it includes oral presentations of the 40 best abstracts of the Congress. The focus of all sessions is clinical practice founded on science with practical take home messages and, as every year, the congress registration fee includes access to all scientific sessions.

The Scientific Programme will be live transmitted at the time mentioned in the programme (CET). On-demand videos will be available to registered delegates until June 4, 2023.

ECCO’23 Theme: Sequencing in IBD

We look forward to welcoming you at the 18^th Congress of ECCO in Copenhagen!

Comparative accuracy of TransPerineal UltraSound (TPUS) versus Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) for the assessment of perianal fistulae in patients with Crohn’s Disease: a prospective observational longitudinal cohort study

Ferdinando D’Amico © Ferdinando D’Amico

Background & aim of research

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the first-line imaging modality for monitoring of perianal disease in patients with Crohn’s Disease (CD). However, its use depends on local availability, costs and expertise. Few studies are available on the role of transperineal ultrasound (TPUS). Performing MRI alone in all patients would impose a substantial expense on the health service and would represent a limitation for the many patients who cannot tolerate the procedure (e.g. owing to claustrophobia). For this reason, we urgently need a painless, non-invasive, cost-effective and widely available modality to assess perianal disease and predict disease outcomes. In this observational prospective study, we investigate the accuracy of TPUS versus pelvic MRI in the diagnosis and monitoring of medical and surgical treatment of perianal fistulae in CD patients.

Examining a novel sulphide-reducing diet As Therapy in Ulcerative Colitis (EAT-UC trial)

Robert V. Bryant © Robert V. Bryant

Background & aim of research

It is currently unknown whether diet influences inflammation in Ulcerative Colitis (UC). Observational and experimental data suggest that modulating sulphide within the luminal environment may have therapeutic potential for UC. The aim of this trial is therefore to determine whether a sulphide-reducing diet, designed to attenuate excess microbial production of potentially noxious gases in the colon, can induce remission in UC.

Deciphering the bioactive role of extracellular matrix fragments (matrikines) in Crohn's Disease (CD) fibrostenosis as potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers

Margarita Papatheodoridi © Margarita Papatheodoridi

Background & aim of research

We have pioneered in studying ex vivo extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling, which is known for its key role in Crohn’s Disease (CD) fibrostenosis. By adding disease-relevant enzymes on the ECM of CD patients’ intestine, we identified numerous matrikines (specific ECM peptide fragments) unique in CD fibrostenosis. Peptidomics software analysis showed specific likelihood for bioactivity for 19 of those matrikines (Giuffrida et. al, unpublished data) ().

This project aims to explore the bioactivity of matrikines in CD fibrostenosis in vitro.

Decoding the neuroimmune crosstalk in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Silvia Cerantola © Silvia Cerantola

Background & aim of research

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) results from an anomalous interaction between genetic, environmental, immunoregulatory and microbial-derived factors. IBD- associated specific mutations include genes involved in microbial recognition, such as mutations in the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4). Beside controlling host defence responses, TLR4 modulates enteric nervous system (ENS) activity, gut motility and repair processes following an insult. TLR4 deficiency in mice leads to significant ENS alterations, characterised by modified gut motility and susceptibility to inflammation. The findings of decreased gut catecholamine levels in IBD patients and the onset of milder experimental colitis after sympathectomy highlight the role of the nervous system as a key regulator of immune responses. Therefore, our research project aims to decode the neuroimmune interactions between the catecholaminergic system and innate immune sensor TLR4 in dinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (DNBS)-induced ileitis.

Intestinal epithelial cell stress modulates enteric fibroblastic and neuronal profiles in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Celia Escudero-Hernández  © Celia Escudero-Hernández

Background & aim of research

Genetic studies have implicated the autophagy gene ATG16L1 and the endoplasmic stress (ER) gene XBP1 in the pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Indeed, spontaneous inflammation develops in mice lacking ATG16L1 or XBP1 expression in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC). Because of the dominant role of failing autophagy and ER stress in IBD, we hypothesise that IEC stress contributes to intestinal fibrosis, gut dysmotility and pain during colitis.

This project aims, for the first time, to thoroughly comprehend the role of crucial IBD epithelial stress factors (i.e. ATG16L1 and XBP1 impairments) in enteric fibroblasts and neurons and to explore potential future intervention points.

Defining the Role of invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) Cells in Perianal Fistula 

Sulak Anandabaskaran © Sulak Anandabaskaran

Background & aim of research

Perianal fistulising Crohn’s Disease (pCD) is associated with poor outcomes and impaired quality of life. It remains difficult to manage despite medical and surgical advancements, likely due to poor understanding of the underlying immunology. Previous multiparameter flow cytometry work in our lab on immune cells isolated from peripheral blood and fistula curettage samples showed expansion of iNKT cells in perianal fistula compared to peripheral blood. Furthermore, iNKTs have been suggested to have a potential role in key processes in fistula pathogenesis, namely epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and extracellular matrix degradation. The role of iNKTs in inflammation remains poorly defined and their function in human IBD is largely unexplored. Therefore, in this experiment we aim to further define their role in the pathogenesis of perianal fistula.

Caring and management of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: a focus on specialist nursing interventions

Rosanna Irene Comoretto © Rosanna Irene Comoretto

Background & aim of research

The number of specialist nurses dedicated to the care and management of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is increasing across Europe, and their role is widening. Despite the increased interest in the opportunities associated with this emerging healthcare professional role, from the perspectives of both patients and clinicians, scarce evidence is available on the effectiveness of specialist nursing interventions. An in-depth review of the impact of specialist nursing interventions on the care and management of patients with IBD, and especially on the health-related quality of life (QoL), is needed.

The main outcome of interest in this context is clinical remission (the proportion of patients in whom remission is achieved or maintained). Additional outcomes are: the proportion of hospital admissions/readmissions, the length of hospital stay, clinical improvement, patients’ QoL and the effectiveness of treatment.

The PTPN2 loss-of-function variant as predictor of therapeutic response to JAK inhibitor therapy in IBD

Marianne R. Spalinger © Marianne R. Spalinger

Raja Atreya © Raja Atreya

Background & aim of research

JAK inhibition has emerged as a promising novel therapeutic strategy in IBD. However, only a subgroup of patients responds to JAK inhibitors and there are currently no predictive markers available that predict sustained response. Our recent work strongly indicates that loss-of-function variants in the PTPN2 gene might serve as predictive markers for therapeutic effectiveness, and the main goal of this project is to define whether PTPN2 dysfunction can serve as a predictor for efficacious JAK inhibitor therapy.