7 active projects, 12 completed manuscripts in 1.5 years. Their key findings so far:

• People carrying different IBD genes, such as NOD 2, have different compositions of gut bacteria.  A person’s genes can therefore affect which gut bacteria they host.
• Different subsets of IBD can be characterized by signature bacterial compositions, defined by risk signature of ~20 microbial families
• A novel way to study intestinal bacterial metabolism in humans have been identified

Ultimate goals for the consortium-

• Understand mechanisms by which bacteria, viruses and fungi cause disease in genetically susceptible hosts.  This can lead to new strategies to treat and prevent IBD
• Identify bacteria and viruses associated with flares:  This will help guide ways to prevent disease relapses by immunization, antibiotics, dietary modification, probiotics, etc.
• Use bacterial profiles to predict the course of disease in an individual patient with IBD – aggressiveness of disease, risk of complications and response to treatment