Australia IBD Microbiome (AIM) Study: protocol for a multicentre longitudinal prospective cohort study

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology and Microbiome Research
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Pathogenesis
• Translational Medicine

Background:

• Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are chronic conditions with unclear mechanisms.
• Current treatments for IBD focus on immune suppression and do not address underlying causes.
• Growing evidence suggests a complex interplay between diet, environment, genetics, and the gut microbiota in IBD development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish Australia's first longitudinal IBD bioresource, the Australian IBD Microbiota (AIM) Study.
• To identify and correlate longitudinal microbial and metagenomic signals with IBD disease activity.
• To understand the interplay between IBD patients and their microbiota by integrating multi-omics and clinical data.

Main Methods:

• A multicentre, longitudinal prospective cohort study enrolling 1000 participants (500 IBD patients, 500 controls).
• Bi-monthly assessments over 24 months, collecting oral and fecal samples, patient-reported outcomes, and clinical data.
• Comprehensive analyses including metagenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and culturomics of collected samples.

Main Results:

• The study aims to identify microbial and metagenomic signals associated with IBD activity.
• Integration of multi-omics data with clinical information will reveal predictive biomarkers.
• The research will elucidate environmental factors influencing microbial composition in IBD.

Conclusions:

• The AIM Study will provide a comprehensive understanding of the gut microbiota's role in IBD.
• Findings are expected to identify novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for IBD management.
• This research will advance personalized medicine approaches for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases.