Principal Investigator: Paulius V. Kuprys, MD, PhD, Fellow, Physician-Scientist Training Program, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Northwestern Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine One percent of the U.S. population grapples with the chronic symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). On the rise around the globe, IBD has gained steady traction in countries adopting “Western” diets of ultra-processed foods, saturated fats, and low fiber. While growing evidence supports the impact of diet in both the onset and relapse of IBD, its direct relationship to gut inflammation remains unclear. Current dietary guidelines recommend fresh foods such as those found in the popular Mediterranean diet. But generalized diet plans often fall short in meeting the diverse tastes and restrictions of IBD patients. Supported by this year’s DHF grant, Dr. Kuprys’ team intends to create a unique IBD specific dietary measurement tool in a first-of-its-kind study. The investigators will ask participants with IBD undergoing colonoscopy to provide a 24-hour recall of what they ate one to two weeks after the procedure. Using that information to calculate an IBD-specific healthy eating index (HEI), the researchers aim to link HEI scores to the health of the colon. Quantifiable data from this invaluable work could offer a reliable roadmap for IBD patients to use in their daily food...
Principal Investigator: Livia Guadagnoli, PhD, Research Assistant Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology), Northwestern Medicine, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine Co-Principal Investigators: Kathryn Tomasino, PhD; Anjali Pandit, PhD; Sara Hoffman-Marchese, PhD The interplay between the brain and gut is becoming more and more apparent. Individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often experience depression and/or anxiety due to the chronic stress of living with their condition. If left untreated, mental health problems can worsen IBD symptoms, increase health care visits, and greatly reduce quality of life. Most IBD providers, though, lack the resources or training to effectively address their patients’ mental health needs. The Northwestern Medicine Digestive Health Institute (DHI) recently took a major step to integrate mental wellness into general IBD care management. In January 2025, DHI launched a new online screening tool via the electronic medical record system to automatically assess the emotional well-being of new IBD patients before their first visit. Awarded this year’s DHF grant, the researchers plan to evaluate the effectiveness of this innovative project before expanding it to a wider population of returning and hospitalized patients. The award will also fund a brief training video for IBD providers to assist them in discussing mental health issues with patients and fostering a safe and supportive environment. Research results could provide unprecedented tangible data on the occurrence of mental health conditions among the IBD patient population and offer hope for managing the impact of mental wellness on quality of...
Principal Investigator: Ronen Sumagin, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology, Northwestern Medicine, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine Ulcerative colitis (UC) causes inflammation in the innermost lining of the colon. From belly pain to diarrhea and bleeding, this type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can take a serious toll on patients’ overall health and lead to life-threatening complications. While most IBD therapies, including biologics, improve symptoms, many individuals still have low-grade tissue inflammation that puts them at risk for disease or infection. Implicated in driving intestinal inflammation, white blood cells have long been lumped together as bad actors. Yet, as it turns out, not all immune cells are alike. Thanks to previous support from DHF, Dr. Sumagin’s team has identified “healer” neutrophils in UC patients in remission. Frequently found in non-inflamed tissue, this unique subset of immune cells may be strong candidates for promoting colon health and predicting response to IBD treatments. In 2024, the Sumagin lab barely missed winning a $1.7 million NIH grant by a slim 1% application score. Using this year’s DHF award as important bridge funding, the researchers will focus on characterizing these CD74+ neutrophils in human UC tissue and preclinical animal models to determine if they truly improve gut health. Advancing this breakthrough work could bring new hope for UC patients in achieving disease remission and avoiding repeated hospitalizations, surgery, and life-threatening complications from active...
