The COMBINE Study is now officially enrolling eligible patient participants. COMBINE is a research study looking to answer an important question: For kids with Crohn’s disease who need to start an anti-TNF medication (Remicade or Humira), does adding another medication called Methotrexate lead to better outcomes?

Perianal fistulas are a common complication of Crohn’s disease in children. At Digestive Diseases Week (DDW) 2016 Dr. Jeremy Adler (@jeremyadlermd) presented research investigating whether low ultraviolet light (UV) exposure is associated with risk of perianal disease in pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease. This research builds on Dr. Adler’s investigation of instances of perianal disease accepted for publication in J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2016 (in press).

Jeff Savarino and the team at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) are improving the clinical remission rate for kids with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (also known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD).

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Funds Project as a Demonstration of PCORnet

A team from ImproveCareNow led by Heather Kaplan, MD, MSCE and Lisa Opipari-Arrigan, PhD will take part in a $2.5 million research project in partnership with the Health eHeart Alliance, to conduct a study using an innovative combination of “N-of-1” study designs and mobile health technology. ImproveCareNow will focus on using a series of N-of-1 studies to understand the effectiveness of the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) in reducing symptoms in patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (also known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD) as compared to a liberalized SCD and unrestricted diet.

Adalimumab (ADA) is an important biologic drug used in the treatment of pediatric Crohn’s disease. In May at Digestive Disease Week 2016, a meeting of gastroenterologists from around the world, Dr. Keith Benkov presented research examining variation in the use of Adalimumab monotherapy and concomitant therapy with an immunomodulator in pediatric Crohn’s disease. The cross-sectional analysis was completed using data from the ImproveCareNow Registry (known as “ICN2”).

Click the poster image for a larger view

A new video featuring Peter Margolis, MD, PhD highlights how ImproveCareNow's partnership with PCORnet is enabling the network to design and deliver better care for and with patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and how it is accelerating the pace of research that will answer important questions about these diseases.

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Funds Project as a Demonstration of PCORnet

The ImproveCareNow Network will take part in a $4 million research project to determine the optimal type and frequency of mindfulness-based treatment for managing stress. ImproveCareNow is one of 20 PCORI-funded Patient-Powered Research Networks (PPRNs) participating in this study, which will also demonstrate the capabilities of PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network.

The goal of medical research is to find answers that will improve the lives of patients. ImproveCareNow is committed to ensuring the research we support is answering the questions that matter most and will have the greatest potential to impact our community. During 2015, the ImproveCareNow community identified the most important areas where we should be focusing research. Through the Patient Priorities platform, suggestions were submitted for over 200 pediatric IBD research topics. This list was then refined and condensed to 22 unique potential research topics.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Chinese philosopher Laozi, 6^th century BC

With great admiration, I have been witness to the strides that ImproveCareNow (ICN) has been making in our research efforts. As co-chair of the Research Committee, I am able to observe all of the wonderful ideas that the community puts forth for consideration. As with any learning curve, every step is not smooth, and we occasionally stumble and fall. Our colleagues are next to us ready to offer a helping hand though.

The variation in presentation of ulcerative colitis (UC) during childhood has been incompletely characterized. In October, at the NASPGHAN Annual Meeting, Dr. Jeremy Adler (@jeremyadlermd) presented an abstract on behalf of ImproveCareNow, which highlights the characterization of the extent of disease at presentation of UC in a large cohort of pediatric patients using data from the ImproveCareNow pediatric IBD registry (known as “ICN2”).