Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research & Clinical Trials
Dedicated to Advancing IBD Research
Our goal is to develop more effective and specific treatments and, ultimately, to prevent and cure inflammatory bowel disease.
At the University of Chicago Medicine, clinical practice and medical research form a seamless circle that leads to better diagnoses, better treatment and better outcomes for our patients. Our providers are also investigators, working to identify the causes and understand the mechanisms of inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, our research scientists are active partners in care who collaborate with physicians to solve the complex problems that our patients face. As a result, patients receive the best, most advanced care possible. This also ensures that our clinical trials contribute to emerging trends and changes in IBD, rather than an individual researcher's interests.
Support Us
The UChicago Medicine Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center has a legacy of over 85 years of leadership in the investigation of new treatments for inflammatory bowel disease. These discoveries were made possible through the contributions of patients, friends and family members who provided additional funds for advanced clinical and laboratory research. Please consider supporting the IBD Center's important mission. Make a gift.
Current IBD Clinical Trials
As one of only a limited number of research centers in the country testing new IBD treatments, UChicago Medicine offers a variety of clinical trial therapies — the most advanced treatments available — at the earliest possible time in patients' care. Some of our current studies focus on:
- Disparities in digestive diseases delivery of care
- Novel therapies in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
- The utility of chromoendoscopy in ulcerative colitis surveillance
- The role of the microbiome in IBD pathogenesis
Frequently Asked Questions about IBD Research
The days of giving everyone the same drugs and the same therapy are going by the wayside. Today, we customize IBD therapy to the individual patient based on such factors as the exact location of the disease, treatment history and response to medications. We want to emphasize that early intervention and effective therapy are critical to IBD treatment success.
Our IBD team of specialists has extensive experience in accurately diagnosing and effectively treating Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Because we believe that ongoing treatment is more effective than periodic interventions for acute episodes, we continually monitor our patients’ progress and quality of life. And our center integrates compassionate patient care with innovative research.
Clinical trials of new and emerging IBD therapies offer the patient a potentially more effective treatment. When patients participate in an IBD clinical trial, they are helping to guide our therapies and to advance the field.
Much is happening in basic, translational and clinical IBD research. Our clinicians interact closely with immunologists, microbiologists, geneticists, pathologists and other scientists at the University of Chicago who are working in the field of digestive diseases. Current studies are looking at the many genes associated with IBD and the role of intestinal microflora in contributing to the disorder. Whatever the area of IBD research, we all have the same goals: to develop better and more specific IBD treatments and ultimately to prevent and cure the disease.
Contact Us
Kristi Kearney, RN,
Research Nurse
Clinical Trials Manager
773-834-7414