Research Focus
IBD is a chronic illness and the symptoms, including diarrhoea, rectal bleeding, and abdominal pain, have a significant impact on quality of life. Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the major forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in developed nations such as Australia. It is common for a patient’s symptoms to first appear while they are in their 30s, although these diseases can affect children and older adults. Both CD and UC are characterised by a series of relapses and remissions. There is limited understanding of the clinical, environmental and genetic factors that may influence how severe the disease is or how often it recurs.
The origin of IBD is not well understood, but the most favoured theory is that a genetically at-risk individual encounters a single or series of environmental triggers that lead to disease.
Discovery of the first susceptibility gene for CD (called NOD2) and its proposed role in the body, support this hypothesis. The Gut Health Lab is currently investigating several other genes for links to IBD. Apart from that, we are also interested in dietary implications on disease progression and drug response.
Gallery
Research Projects
Current Research Projects
Ileal Crohn's Risk Predictor.
Determination of disease-specific gene expression signatures.
Incidence and prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease in South-East Queensland.
Ileal Crohn's Risk Predictor
Research Team
A/Prof Gareth Walker
Katherine Hanigan
Dr Jennifer Phillips
Dr Rina Kumar
Funding
- National Health and Medical Research Council.
- Royal Brisbane and Women’s Research Foundation.
- Smart State Health and Medical Research Fund.
- Abbott Australasia.
- Crohn’s and Colitis Australia.
- Orphan Australia.
- Ferring Australia.
- Pharmatel-Fresenius-Kabi.
Publications
Kumar, R., Brown, A., Okano, S. et al. Overweight and obesity are associated with colorectal neoplasia in an Australian outpatient population. Sci Rep 14, 23501 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-74042-y.
Afrin S, Simms LA, Lord A, Radford-Smith GL. Nudix hydrolase 15 (NUDT15) loss-of-function variants in an Australian inflammatory bowel disease population. Intern Med J. 2022 Nov;52(11):1971-1977. doi: 10.1111/imj.15746. Epub 2022 Jun 8. PMID: 35289057; PMCID: PMC9796699. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/imj.15746
Mortlock S, Lord A, Montgomery G, Zakrzewski M, Simms LA, Krishnaprasad K, Hanigan K, Doecke JD, Walsh A, Lawrance IC, Bampton PA, Andrews JM, Mahy G, Connor SJ, Sparrow MP, Bell S, Florin TH, Begun J, Gearry RB, Radford-Smith GL. An Extremes of Phenotype Approach Confirms Significant Genetic Heterogeneity in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis. J Crohns Colitis. 2023 Mar 18;17(2):277-288. doi: 10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjac121. PMID: 36111848; PMCID: PMC10024548. https://doi.org/10.1093/ecco-jcc/jjac121
Further Information
- Ileal Crohn's Risk Predictor.
- NUDT15 Genotyping.
- Associate Professor Jane Andrews, Royal Adelaide Hospital.
- Associate Professor Peter Bampton, Flinders Medical Centre.
- Professor Judy Cho, Yale University.
- Dr James Doecke, CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences.
- Professor Timothy Florin, Mater Medical Research Institute.
- Associate Professor Rick Duerr, University of Pittsburgh, USA.
- Dr Richard Gearry, University of Otago, New Zealand.
- Dr David Hansen, CSIRO Mathematical and Information Sciences.
- Dr Flavia Huygens, Queensland University of Technology.
- Professor Michael Kamm, St Vincent’s Hospital.
- Professor Ian Lawrence, Fremantle Hospital.
- Associate Professor Rupert Leong, Concord Hospital.
- Associate Professor Peter Lewindon, Royal Children’s Hospital and Health Services.
- Associate Professor Michael McGuckin, Mater Medical Research Institute.
- Dr Gillian Mahy, Townsville Hospital.
- Dr Miles Parkes, Addenbrookes Hospital, UK.
- Dr Rebecca Roberts, University of Otago, New Zealand.
- Dr Alissa Walsh, St Vincent’s Hospital.
NUDT15 Genotyping Testing Service:
Clinical Information: https://www.qimrberghofer.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/NUDT15-Genotyping-Test-Information.pdf
Request Form: https://www.qimrberghofer.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/TEST-REQUEST-FORM-NUDT15-GENOTYPING.pdf
Ileal Crohn's Disease Risk Predictor: https://www.qimrberghofer.edu.au/ileal-crohns-risk-predictor/
Risk of Rescue (RoR) Score for Severe Colitis: https://severecolitis.com/