IBD

The researchers used tissue samples from IBD patients - but it is hoped their method can be used to develop a simple blood test to identify those IBD patients most at risk.

"Our test and algorithm give people with IBD, and the doctors who care for them, the best possible information so that they can make the right decision about how to manage their cancer risk."

The discovery has significant implications for human health, particularly for conditions with abnormal stem cell activity such as IBD, one of the fastest growing conditions in Canada, and bowel cancer, the third most common cancer in the country.

A new study led by Luis Ulloa, PhD, and Wei Yang, PhD, reveals how electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve -- a major nerve connecting the brain and gut -- may combat the stress-related inflammation that worsens IBD symptoms.

Published in Science Translational Medicine, the study showed that vagus nerve stimulation in stressed mice with colitis, a form of IBD, reduced inflammation, improved symptoms, and boosted survival rates.