Litwin IBD Pioneers
The Litwin IBD Pioneers supports innovative research projects with the potential to impact the diagnosis and treatment of IBD patients in the near future.
Litwin IBD Pioneers supports researchers who are exploring all possible opportunities for improvements in IBD diagnosis and treatment, with a focus on novel, outside-the-box ideas. Investigators with experience in IBD as well as those from other disciplines who are new to the IBD field are invited to apply. Applicants may be based in the U.S. or abroad and may be conducting lab-based studies or clinical trials (studies involving patients).
Previous recipients of Litwin grants have used the funds to make important discoveries that are advancing our understanding of IBD and how to best treat it, as well as moving us closer to cures. For instance:
Using a Stool Transplant to Bring About Remission
A pioneering proof-of-concept study demonstrated the benefits of fecal transplantation (when a stool sample from a healthy person is put into the colon of a patient). In ulcerative colitis patients, this approach may lead to the remission of symptoms. These findings were published in 2017 in The Lancet. Since then, additional research and clinical trials on fecal transplantation and other microbiome therapies have been conducted To learn more about fecal transplant, click here.
Blocking Inflammation-Causing Molecules BRD4 More Effectively
Scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch tested a novel drug delivery system that has the potential to enable more effective and targeted delivery of drugs in the gut. Their research centered on a particular drug that can block BRD4 (bromodomain-containing protein 4), a molecule that is known to activate genes related to inflammation.
