This finding addresses a major gap in understanding the molecular underpinnings of IBD’s pre-clinical phase, and is the main conclusion of our new study that has recently been published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

In the study, we used untargeted metabolomics with mass spectrometry to detect alterations in the metabolome long before symptoms emerge by comparing thousands of metabolites between future patients and matched controls.

These metabolic signatures could help reshape how we conceptualize disease onset and progression. Also, if validated in larger cohorts, they could be developed into early risk biomarkers, enabling preventive interventions years before clinical IBD manifests.

Authors

Camilla Engel Lemser
Adam Koziol
Sanne Grundvad Boelt
Nadia MacSween
Madeleine Ernst
Tine Jess
Filip Ottosson