The Australian Inflammatory Bowel Disease Microbiome Study
Currently recruiting
72% of target number recruited
Active participation rate 93%, sample return rate 97%, Survey return rate 98%
717 patients recruited to the study
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CD: 245 (55 paediatric)
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UC: 201 (23 paediatric)
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Controls: 272 (26 paediatric)
The microbiome and links to IBD
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), comprising the 2 main forms – Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a global disease challenge. It affects approximately 1 in 250 Australians, with over 80,000 Australians currently living with IBD. IBD arises from a dysregulated immune response to alterations in the gut microbiota in susceptible individuals. Sufferers can endure numerous attacks or ‘flares’ followed by periods of relative remission; however, the disease trigger remains elusive.
Being able to identify people at risk of IBD prior to symptoms, preventing symptom progression, and being able to define how patients are likely to respond to treatment, plays to the heart of IBD healthcare, namely, to improve patient health.
Who are The Sydney+ IBD Research consortium
The Sydney+ IBD Research consortium was initiated in 2018 to bring together clinicians and researchers to improve IBD patient care. The consortium is an active collaboration comprising early, mid and advanced-career clinicians/scientists with complementary strengths. The first aim of the network was to develop the infrastructure to ensure a unified approach to patient recruitment/sample collection – an issue which hampers many multi-centre studies.
What is The Australian IBD Microbiome (AIM) Study
The Australian IBD Microbiome (AIM) Study is the inaugural study of the consortia and commenced recruitment in June 2019. The AIM study is a longitudinal cohort study with clinical data, patient-reported outcomes data, and biological samples collected from participants over a 24-month period.
The project will deliver:
- Microbial changes associated with onset of IBD symptoms
- Identification of Australian IBD microbial signatures to allow targeted intervention
- Generation of novel predictive models of direct translational utility to the clinic.
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Study commencement date:
- June 2019
- Scheduled end date:
February 2025
Study Lead:
Professor Georgina Hold
Lead recruiting site:
St George Hospital, Kogarah, NSW 2017
Current recruiting area:
New South Wales
Approval numbers
This study has HREC approval – 2019/ETH11443 and ANZCTR code ACTRN12619000911190
Recruiting sites
St Vincent’s Hospital
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Liverpool Hospital
Concord Hospital
Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick
Sydney Children’s Hospital, Westmead
Wollongong Hospital
Blacktown Hospital
Sutherland Hospital
Canberra Hospital
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide
AIM Study Funding
The AIM study receives or has received funds and or support from the following organisations:
Gastroenterological Society of Australia (GESA)
Crohn’s Colitis Australia (CCA)
St George and Sutherland Medical Research Foundation (SSMRF)
Bioanalytical Mass Spectrometry Facility.
Research participants needed
We are seeking research participants to learn about the changes in the human microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). If we can determine how to prevent or treat disease, then we have the potential to positively change health outcomes for many future generations. Find out more by clicking on the link below.
Study summary
We are looking for participants who:
- have an IBD diagnosis, are between the ages of 6 and 80 years old and receiving healthcare in Australia,
- family members of IBD patients
- healthy controls
You must:
- Be intending to reside in Australia for the next 2 years
- Be willing to have your vital signs, height, weight, medical history collected
- Be willing to complete a series of lifestyle and diet related questionnaires
- Be willing to provide blood samples at 0, 12 and 24 months, and oral swabs and stool samples every 3 months (sample packs provided).
What is involved
If you decide to take part you would:
- Provide samples and answer questionnaires every 3 months over two years
- Be available for the duration of the study, which is 24 months
- Willing to provide height, weight, medical history, lifestyle and dietary assessment
- Willing to provide multi-site microbiome sampling (including oral, stool samples and blood tests)
Frequently asked questions about the AIM study
How can I join the AIM study
We welcome collaboration proposals from researchers, institutions, and industry partners. Please contact our collaboration team via email for more details.
What will I be asked to do
- Be willing to have your vital signs, height, weight, medical history collected
- Be willing to complete a series of lifestyle and diet related questionnaires
- Be willing to provide blood samples at 0, 12 and 24 months, and oral swabs and stool samples every 3 months
Who should I contact for general inquiries?
For general questions, please reach out to our support team at info@microbiomecentre.com.au, and we will get back to you promptly.
I need Personal Microbiome Testing - can you help
At the moment we are only undertaking microbiome analysis for research.
We would be unable to provide details of commercial organisations which provide this. Importantly we recommend working with a healthcare provider when deciding if this line of investigation is correct for you.
Where are the recruiting hospitals
Recruiting sites
St Vincent’s Hospital
Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
Liverpool Hospital
Concord Hospital
Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick
Sydney Children’s Hospital, Westmead
Wollongong Hospital
Blacktown Hospital
Sutherland Hospital
Canberra Hospital
Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Adelaide
Meet Our Dedicated Team
Prof. Emad El-Omar
Director of MRC, Professor of Medicine UNSW and Gastroenterologist St George Hospital, Sydney Australia
Prof. Georgina Hold
Professor of Gut Health, UNSW, Director of Research South East Sydney Local Health District, Head of IBD team MRC
A.Prof. Amany Zykry
Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist at St George Hospital, Head of Liver Team MRC
Dr. Noah Bennett
Lead Microbiologist
Dr. Ava Thompson
Public Relations Manager
Dr. Lucas White
Community Engagement Specialist
Dr. Olivia Brown
Project Manager
Current PhD and Honours students
Dr. Noah Bennett
Lead Microbiologist
Dr. Ava Thompson
Public Relations Manager
Dr. Lucas White
Community Engagement Specialist
Dr. Mia Robinson
Research Scientist
Dr. Ethan Green
Data Analyst
Dr. Olivia Brown
Project Manager
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We welcome your questions, feedback, and collaboration ideas. Our team is here to assist you with any inquiries you may have. Feel free to reach out and discover how we can work together to advance microbiome research.