To mark World IBD Day 2025, the GENEGUT project is proud to share a special interview featuring voices from across the IBD community. This year’s campaign, “IBD Has No Borders: Breaking Taboos, Talking About It”, launched by EFCCA, GENEGUT’s project partner, shines a spotlight on the ongoing stigma and silence that many people living with IBD still face today. In GENEGUT, we are committed to placing the patient experience at the centre of innovation. From personal stories to cutting-edge RNA-based therapies, this World IBD Day reminds us that empowering patients starts with listening.
In this video, we hear from:
- Vasiliki Vakouftsi – EFCCA’s Youth Group Coordinator and IBD patient advocate, who speaks candidly about her personal journey with Crohn’s disease, the challenges of opening up about symptoms and the emotional toll of stigma and isolation.
- Isabella Haaf (EFCCA) – EFCCA’s World IBD Day Coordinator, who outlines the goals of this year’s campaign and the importance of creating space for open, global conversations around taboo IBD topics.
- Prof. Caitriona O’Driscoll (UCC) – GENEGUT Project Coordinator, reflecting on how patient engagement in research fosters more relevant and human-centred innovation in developing new IBD treatments.
Together, the speakers explore what World IBD Day means to them, the importance of giving voice to the patients and how GENEGUT aims to replace isolation with innovation by centring the patient voice in research and therapy development.
Watch the full interview below:
About World IBD Day 2025
Each year on 19 May, World IBD Day unites the global IBD community to raise awareness for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The 2025 EFCCA campaign – “IBD Has No Borders” – calls for greater openness and solidarity, breaking taboos that still silence conversations about bowel health.
Join the movement and help break the silence: Visit EFCCA’s World IBD Day 2025 page
Thank you to our partners at EFCCA, UCC and the rest of the project consortium for their continued commitment to patient-centred research and advocacy. Together, we are advancing solutions that not only treat the disease, but also address the real-world challenges faced by people living with IBD.
UK participants in Horizon Europe Project GENEGUT are supported by UKRI grant number 10042451 (Bangor University).