Clinical Research Projects

Measurement of Ulcerative Colitis
This project, sponsored by the CCFA, is designed to produce new and more accurate ways to measure disease activity in ulcerative colitis. We started with patient focus groups in 2006, developed symptom questions and scales, tested and revised these, and now have a set of detailed questions about symptoms in UC. In parallel, we have developed methods to get samples of urine, stool, and blood from patients in order to measure objective biomarkers of inflammation.
The next phase of this study will be validation of these items and development of a disease activity index that will combine the results of symptom questionnaires, biomarkers, and endoscopy in the measurement of UC. We will also develop an endoscopy-free version, and a questionnaire-only version for clinic use.

Ultrasound Elasticity Imaging (UEI) to Measure Fibrosis in Crohn's Disease
This pilot study, for which we have applied for NIH funding, is investigating whether ultrasound through the skin of the abdomen can measure how stiff the intestine is in a narrowed area. We have preliminary data from rats that shows that UEI can measure intestinal stiffness, and that this measures the progressive scarring of the intestine. We are testing this ultrasound approach on patients who are going to surgery for intestinal narrowing due to Crohn's disease, and comparing the ultrasound results to the findings of scarring in the removed intestine. If this is successful, we will have a way to measure whether people are developing intestinal scarring before they have a blockage, and perhaps institute therapy to slow the progress or reverse the scarring before an intestinal obstruction occurs.