Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research

The Ocean State Crohn’s and Colitis Area Registry (OSCCAR)

OSCCAR is an important research study funded by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). Composed of over 400 patients diagnosed with IBD in the state of Rhode Island between 2008 to 2013, research from OSCCAR has already resulted in 15 important publications.

One of the most exciting aspects of OSCCAR is that, in addition to detailed information about patient disease and medical course, we also collect biological samples such as blood, urine and stool at regular intervals. This provides a unique opportunity to study various biological processes that may help us better understand what causes IBD.

In this respect, OSCCAR is unlike any IBD cohort across the country. Jason Shapiro, MD, a pediatric gastrointestinal specialist, is the principal investigator of OSCCAR at Rhode Island Hospital. His current research is focused on understanding how the intestinal microbiome can be leveraged in the development of novel, microbial-based biomarkers of disease-specific outcomes. Future work will explore how these findings can be translated into the development of more refined therapeutic approaches.

Learn more about research into Crohn's disease in Rhode Island »

Prediction of Complicated Disease Course for Children Newly Diagnosed with Crohn's Disease: a Multicentre Inception Cohort Study

This study into the best treatments for pediatric patients recently diagnosed with Crohn's disease is funded by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Research Foundation. Stricturing and penetrating complications account for substantial morbidity and health-care costs in pediatric and adult onset Crohn's disease. Validated models to predict risk for complications are not available, and the effect of treatment on risk is unknown. Lifespan researchers did a prospective inception cohort study of pediatric patients with newly diagnosed Crohn's disease at 28 sites in the USA and Canada. The findings support the usefulness of risk stratification of pediatric patients with Crohn's disease at diagnosis and a selection of anti-TNFα therapy.

Learn more about research into predicting the course of Crohn's disease in children »

Durability of Infliximab and Disease Extent in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The aim of this study was to evaluate infliximab (IFX) dosing and treatment durability relative to luminal disease burden in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Records from 98 pediatric patients treated with IFX between 2012 and 2014 were reviewed. Patients who started by taking standard 5 mg/kg dosing were compared with those who began treatment taking 10 mg/kg. Those patients with extensive disease, who started taking 5 mg/kg of IFX were more likely to require dose escalation compared to those with limited or moderate disease. All of the patients with moderate and extensive disease who started taking 10 mg/kg of IFX remained on this dose at one year. These results suggest that patients with more extensive disease may benefit from higher initial IFX dosing as it relates to durability of the treatment. The results of this study were published in the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition. Lifespan investigators are currently working on a follow-up study looking at durability of treatment response at 5 years. 

Read the results of the IFX dosage study »

Lifespan Research

Lifespan sponsors many clinical trials, which yield valuable research information as well as cutting edge treatments. Ask your physician or other clinical provider if you could be a candidate for one of the trials.

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