Differences in the composition of bacteria within the gut have been found in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and healthy people. In addition to this, bacterial functional differences may also contribute to inflammation in IBD, but it is difficult to determine whether these changes are cause or the consequence of disease. Proteases, which are […]

Abdominal pain is a debilitating symptom for many patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). An endogenous opioid system emerges in the intestinal tissues during chronic inflammation that acts to dampen such pain and could prevent the need for strong opiate drugs like morphine that can cause serious side effects. However, we have discovered that psychological […]

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes both Crohn’s disease (CD), and ulcerative colitis (UC). Approximately 230,000 Canadians are affected by these diseases and they have important repercussions on quality of life and on both personal and societal direct and indirect costs. The cause(s) are poorly understood, and treatment is largely symptom-based and not curative. Commonly used […]