Research - Unit of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The research objective of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Unit at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona is to develop translational research that will lead to improvements in the diagnosis and/or treatment of patients affected by Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis in the near future. The Unit’s research is carried out through the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), within the Liver, Digestive System, and Metabolism area, specifically in the following group:

In recent years, the Unit has led the development of radiological techniques for assessing disease activity, severity, and therapeutic response in Crohn’s disease. The findings from these studies form the basis of the recommendations used in international clinical guidelines. They not only help avoid the need for colonoscopies but also provide more comprehensive information than endoscopy for therapeutic decision-making.

The group is working on simplifying the acquisition and interpretation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) so that it can be more widely used in both clinical practice and therapeutic studies. The group’s expertise in imaging techniques for IBD has also enabled the development of studies aimed at characterizing other, less well-known aspects of the disease, such as the progressive accumulation of irreversible intestinal damage over time, which leads to symptoms, functional disorders, and disability in the absence of active inflammation.

In the area of treatment for refractory disease using cell-based therapies, the Unit is conducting studies to improve the safety and applicability of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in refractory Crohn’s disease. It has also carried out cell therapy studies using tolerogenic dendritic cells and mesenchymal stromal cells for the treatment of complex fistulas in Crohn’s disease.

In recent years, the Unit has conducted several studies aimed at understanding the pathophysiology, natural history, therapeutic response, and predictive factors of response in perianal fistulizing Crohn’s disease.

The surgical techniques research area focuses on the use of robotic surgery in IBD and the transanal approach in ulcerative colitis surgery.

The basic research laboratory is an international reference in translational research aimed at identifying the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in the development and course of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. This research applies transcriptional analysis techniques on human samples at the tissue (RNAseq) and single-cell (scRNAseq) levels, analysis of immune cells and their responses to different stimuli or therapies, and culture of intestinal epithelial stem cells.

As a result of the group’s research, biomarkers associated with disease remission and alternative therapeutic targets for patients who do not respond to current treatments have been identified. In Crohn’s disease, immune responses directed against components of the intestinal microbiota have been discovered, and therapeutic options have been evaluated. At the same time, dysregulation of the epithelial barrier in ulcerative colitis has been revealed, affecting stem cells (progenitors of the entire intestinal wall) and identifying them as a new potential therapeutic target.