FLATBUSH — A NEW STUDY from a SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University identifies groundbreaking technology for the treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Assistant Professor Thomas Wallach, M.D. led the study, which unveiled a novel approach to identifying the stages of IBD in pediatric and young adult patients. The study offered healthcare providers critical insights into disease progression and paving the way for enhanced patient care. A combination of genetic susceptibility, microbial interactions and initial inflammatory triggers shapes the current medical understanding of IBD, making it difficult to monitor. The study showed that stool-based testing methods are a less intrusive alternative diagnostic method than endoscopy.
Fecal mtDNA offers substantial potential as a reliable and sensitive biomarker for assessing IBD activity. This method can be completed in-house at a higher speed and lower cost than other methods, thus improving accuracy in identifying disease progression at low disease severity states. These findings will improve medical and patient care, give providers an insight into the disease state and likely drive improved outcomes.
“Identifying the status of IBD has historically been a costly and often invasive process for patients. Our study offers a better option for patients and physicians, allowing for increasingly informed treatment decisions that we expect will improve outcomes,” said Wallach.
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