The MIRACLS Study
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Gut Microbiota and Intestinal Rehabilitation: A prospective Childhood cohort Longitudinal study of Short bowel syndrome (The MIRACLS Study)
IRAS ID
306100
Contact name
Andrew Gennery
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle Joint Research Office
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 4 days
Research summary
Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is where the bowel is too short to absorb enough nutrients and fluids to sustain health. The commonest childhood cause is major surgery for gut malformation or inflammation in babies. Providing nutrition and fluid (‘parenteral nutrition’ (PN)) through a plastic catheter in a child's large vein is life-saving but associated with serious complications and has a high economic and social cost. Most children eventually manage to come off PN - a process called intestinal rehabilitation (IR) but this can take several years.
Gut bacteria have important roles in maintaining health. Children with SBS have different bacteria present and they function differently compared to healthy individuals. Children with SBS are at higher risk of infections and receive more antibiotics, which could alter the balance of bacteria in the gut. We predict that gut bacteria have an important role in IR in SBS in children.
We propose to invite children with SBS from specialist centres in Newcastle, London, and Birmingham to participate in a study. We will invite participants to provide samples and permit sharing of pseudo-anonymised clinical data.
We will use genetic technologies to analyse the gut bacteria in stool, comparing results with clinical outcomes. Additional samples will be taken if a child receives antibiotics or has any significant changes to their diet as these factors may change gut bacteria. Where children undergo a medically-indicated procedure requiring samples of the gut to be taken, we will analyse these to investigate gut surface bacteria which may be different to that in stool, and also important. We will study markers of gut function (in blood and urine samples) in relation to IR.
This project may reveal important relationships between gut bacteria and IR that may help clinicians to understand why some patients achieve IR more quickly.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/EM/0233
Date of REC Opinion
28 Nov 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion