Fibrostenosis Focused Therapeutics - RFP

Half of all Crohn’s Disease (CD) patients will develop disease complications, one which is development of fibrotic strictures (fibrostenosis), leading to GI tract obstruction and severe clinical consequences. Fibrostenosis is also a serious problem for ulcerative colitis (UC) with approximately 8% incidence over the lifetime. Currently there is no clinical solution for preventing or treating fibrostenosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), except for surgical intervention. Therefore, there is a great unmet need to develop effective therapeutic solutions for fibrotic complications in IBD patients.

 

Scope | Eligibility | Funding terms | Key dates | How to apply

 

Scope

The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation seeks to fund companies or academic groups that are associated with a drug discovery center to focus on developing products for the treatment of IBD patients experiencing fibrosis exclusive of surgical techniques resulting in removal of GI tissue. These products should have their origin in clinical observations and/or published evidence in human IBD. Particular interest will be in proposals that address one or more of the following areas:

  • Evaluation of therapeutic potential of modulating specific fibrotic pathways
  • Multidisciplinary approaches

Eligibility

Applications from teams with complementary expertise in IBD and fibrosis. Collaborative work with academic institutions is allowed under the condition that the work is directly related to product development. Indirect costs for any academic work will not be provided above 10% of the funded work. Both US and international companies are encouraged to apply.

Funding terms

Up to $450,000 for one year.

Key dates

Letter of Intent (LOI) Application Deadline: June 30, 2026 – Selected LOIs will be invited for full proposal submission.

Full Proposal Submission Deadline:August 14, 2026

How to apply

Questions? Contact Dr. Russell Wyborski, Senior Director, IBD Ventures Investments