Studying the biopsy and stool- associated microbiome in bowel disease.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Studying the biopsy (mucosal-associated) and stool-associated (luminal) microbiome in bowel disease.
IRAS ID
188026
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leeds
Duration of Study in the UK
4 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
The microbiome is the term used to describe the bacteria, viruses and fungi which live in and on the human body. Studies are starting to show an association between the microbiome and diseases of the bowel.
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory disease of the bowel. Approximately 25% of patients with ulcerative colitis undergo colectomy (surgical removal of the large bowel) with formation of an ileal pouch (a pouch fashioned from the small bowel to hold faeces prior to defecation). 50% of these patients subsequently develop inflammation of the ileal pouch, ‘pouchitis’, which becomes chronic in 5%, even requiring resection.
To date only a limited number of studies have investigated the role that the microbiome plays in the development of pouchitis; a systematic review from 2014 identified only six studies meeting inclusion criteria. These studies suffered from limited numbers (the greatest number of cases of pouchitis was 15) and from studying only the mucosal microbiome (the bacteria and viruses in direct contact with the bowel wall) or the evacuated stool microbiome in isolation.
We plan to compare the microbiome in stool samples pre-bowel prep, stool obtained at colonoscopy, the mucosal microbiome (obtained though biopsy) and the microbiome in formalin fixed paraffin embedded FFPE specimens to determine which method gives the most clinically useful information. We will do this in patients undergoing colonoscopy who have pouchitis and compare the results to those of patients undergoing colonoscopy who have normal bowels, inflammatory bowel disease and normal pouches. Furthermore, we will also collect these samples from patients who are undergoing surgery to create an ileal pouch to see if this could help predict which patients will go on to develop pouchitis.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
15/NS/0127
Date of REC Opinion
16 Dec 2015
REC opinion
Unfavourable Opinion