Research summary
Intestinal fibrosis—or fibrostenotic disease (FSD)—is the most common cause of surgery and decreased quality of life in people who suffer from Crohn’s disease. But currently, there are no effective therapies to treat or prevent it.
Dr. Paul Beck, Canada Research Chair in Precision Therapeutics, has discovered that peripheral blood cells known as fibrocytes are increased among patients who have Crohn’s disease with FSD. Using advanced immunological, proteomic, metabolomic and transcriptomic approaches, he and his research team have identified critical pathways that drive fibrocyte biology and FSD. They are working on identifying new approaches to treat and prevent FSD associated with Crohn’s disease.