Providing hope for IBD patients

The Exeter IBD and Pharmacogenetics Research Group is a world-leading centre, developing genetic tests which will enable the better targeting of drugs to treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

The group is headed up by Dr Tariq Ahmad, a Consultant Gastroenterologist at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Hospital and a University of Exeter academic. It was formed in 2011 to initially investigate the genetics around side effects caused by taking drugs used in IBD – around 40% of patients cannot tolerate or do not respond to current drugs.

The main aims of the group are to raise the profile and understanding of IBD which now effects at least 1% of the UK population, and to increase research which improves the health outcomes of those suffering with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The group work with 90% of the acute hospital trusts in the UK and with many international collaborators to conduct their research and with the UK NIHR IBD Bioresource and Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

The group’s work focuses on retrospective studies to further investigate the side effects of the drugs used to treat IBD, and a prospective observation study looking to develop personalised anti-TNF therapy in Crohn’s disease, one of the IBD diseases (PANTS). 

Within these projects the group has conducted the largest ever clinical and genetic analysis of IBD patients and identified three genetic markers so far. These genetic markers can identify which IBD patients might be at risk of suffering a serious side effect to an IBD drug. 

In early 2020 the test developed from this research will be available across the NHS to improve treatment for patients. Testing prior to prescribing will reduce the risks to patients and costs to the NHS, associated with this potentially serious drug side effect. Doctors will be able to modify or alter treatments, personalising medicine according to a person’s genetics which will allow them to treat patients more safely and effectively.

In addition PANTS is the largest study ever to look at why an expensive and commonly used group of drugs fails in the treatment of Crohn’s disease.

If you would like to support this ground-breaking work, or want to learn more please contact Susanna Bennett or Tania Hutt at the University of Exeter.