While not part of the GENEGUT project itself, a recent publication by researchers from University College Cork (UCC) — a GENEGUT project coordinator — closely aligns with GENEGUT’s mission to explore the role of the gut in chronic disease and innovate therapeutic strategies.
Published in BMJ Open Gastroenterology, the study, led by Naomi Hanrahan, GENEGUT PI, Dr Silvia Melgar, and colleagues, is the Public and Patient Involvement (PPI) initiative in Ireland to explore how people living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) perceive the influence of diet on their condition. Through a mixed-method approach combining an online questionnaire with in-depth patient panel discussions, the research offers critical insight into the multifaceted factors that shape dietary decisions and disease management for individuals with IBD.
Key findings:
- IBD patients reported that many factors affect what they can and will eat, especially during disease relapse.
“From the PCP’s perspective, dietary patterns are severely altered during active disease, and many factors affect what a patient can and will eat during remission.”
- There is a strong desire among patients for greater support from multidisciplinary teams outside of hospital settings.
“Additional access to dietary supports outside of crisis times and access to multidisciplinary team care was strongly recommended.”
- The study underscores the need for more accessible, patient-centred information on how diet interacts with disease.
“Documenting the patient’s lived experiences and opinions will embed patient perspectives into future dietary research and yield valuable insights for patients, researchers and medical staff.”
- Importantly, this work contributes valuable insights for future clinical trials, including those involving RNA therapies, which are central to GENEGUT’s scientific scope.
“This study has laid the foundation for further integration of PPI into fundamental science, aspiring to enrich and expand existing paradigms.”
The work represents a prime example of how patient experiences and expectations can help shape translational research, a principle also embedded in GENEGUT’s approach to developing RNA-based therapies for ileal Crohn’s Disease.
We congratulate Naomi and the UCC team on this important publication and are proud to share this excellent example of consortium partner-led research that complements GENEGUT’s aims.
Read the full article here: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgast-2023-001251
To make the research more accessible to a broader audience, Naomi and the team have also prepared a lay-friendly summary of the findings on UCC’s website. The blog, part of the IBD Insights outreach series, breaks down the key themes and takeaways helping to bridge the gap between science and public understanding.
Read the blog here: https://www.ucc.ie/en/apc/outreach/ibdinsights/
UK participants in Horizon Europe Project GENEGUT are supported by UKRI grant number 10042451 (Bangor University).