Improving care for Inflammatory Bowel Disease patients

Thanks to your wonderful support, Mater Foundation Research Fellow Dr Jake Begun has been able to conduct research to better understand and influence the causes of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), typically diagnosed in young adults.

Approximately 61 000 Australians are estimated to have this chronic inflammatory condition of the gut which can lead to disabling symptoms and requires surgery in up to 60% of patients.

Often a ‘hidden’ disease, a significant number of young adults with IBD report feeling anxious or having symptoms of depression which can have long-term effects on their mental health.

Dr Begun leads the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases research group at Mater Research and is overseeing a comprehensive research program that includes clinical, translational and biomedical research to improve outcomes for IBD patients.

The integrative program seeks to implement best practice in clinical care, drive new research into optimising and personalising current treatments, and discover new forms of treatment and prevention through basic and translational science that aims to better understand and influence the root causes of IBD.

The comprehensive IBD research program at Mater aims to improve patient outcomes by implementing best practice in clinical spaces, driving the adoption of new technologies into clinical use, furthering our understanding of the role of the immune system and gut microbiota in inflammation that drives IBD, and investigating how IBD increases the risk of colorectal cancer.

The expected impact of Dr Jake Begun’s research is to allow clinicians to better understand what causes and drives IBD, which would in turn allow them to personalise treatment for each patient to better suit their circumstances. In turn, improving their quality of life and potentially reducing the impact of this disease.

If successful Dr Begun’s wide ranging research and clinical trial participation will help Australians with IBD to healthier, fuller lives without being limited by their illness.

*Source: http://www.ibdsupport.org.au/about-ibd