Scientists at NUI Galway have explored new ways to help patients dealing with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease, through improved protection of the intestine and new drug delivery methods.

A team at Cúram, the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) research centre for medical devices have developed a new method of restoring the intestinal lining of patients.

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, or IBD, are characterised by chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and effect more than 3.2m people in Europe.

The researchers said current treatments mainly focus on maintaining remission levels but can’t address the root cause of the disease, such as damage to intestinal lining and function.

The researchers have designed a hyaluronan enema, which is similar to the fluid that surrounds the joints in the body. This enema has shown significant potential in protecting against intestinal lining damage by decreasing inflammation and aiding in intestinal health maintenance.

The study published in Advanced Science indicates that this treatment could help prevent further inflammation, which is how conditions like Crohn’s disease worsen over time.

“This research demonstrates the efficacy of a unique therapeutic strategy able to induce a positive effect on damaged colonic tissue,” co-lead of the publication Dr Yury Rochev said. “The reduction in inflammation will be of great benefit to patients and highlights the potential use of this treatment.”

The principal research of the study was conducted by Dr Niranjan Kotla in collaboration with Dr Venkatakrishna R Jala, from the University of Louisville in the US.

Drug delivery research

Alongside the specific treatment research for Crohn’s disease and colitis, Cúram researchers have investigated a way to deliver drugs directly to affected intestines to treat inflammatory bowel diseases.

The researchers behind the study, published in the journal Science Direct, said delivering drugs to these areas is highly challenging but potentially effective.

To increase the potential success of this treatment method, the team has developed strong anionic charged inflammation targeted nanocarriers (IT-NCs) loaded with an immunosuppressant model drug.

“Our results suggest that IT-NCs have promising therapeutic potential as delivery carriers in colitis management,” Co-lead of the study Prof Abhay Pandit said.

This research was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 – the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

Earlier this month, a world-leading expert in gut inflammation disorders received €5.6m through the SFI Professorship Award to establish a new laboratory in University College Cork.

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