You might be wondering, “how would my donation help?” You might be asking yourself whether giving will really make a difference to IBD research. It will, and here’s why.
Most of our research is supported by grant funding from federal and state agencies, foundations, industry, and professional societies. However, to compete for such grants, our researchers must be able to show “proof of concept” preliminary data to show that their research ideas are likely to work. This is particularly true for highly innovative projects that have the potential to dramatically improve the diagnosis and treatment of Crohn's diseaase and ulcerative colitis.
The support of individual donors like you is needed to help jump-start our most promising research projects in their earliest stages, when they are not yet eligible for support from traditional funding agencies. With your seed funding, however, we can develop these ideas to the point where we can then compete for larger grants.
For instance, pilot funding helped Dr. Higgins establish a research program in the gut microbes in IBD, and compete for grants from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. Pilot funding for Dr. Stidham helped him establish a research program in proteomics, to find biomarkers of intestinal scarring in Crohn's disease. If these pilot projects are successful, we will then apply for much larger federal grants to continue these innovative research programs.