New York, NY — The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has been awarded a grant of more than $4 million from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust to support an innovative research project aimed at understanding the early stages of Crohn’s disease before noticeable symptoms develop.
Led by the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences along with the Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology in the Department of Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, the study will be conducted in collaboration with *Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.
This initiative will create the “PROMISE Consortium” (PRediction and PRevention through Omics, Microbiome, Immune System, and Environment), pioneering research in the early stages of Crohn’s disease before clinical symptoms emerge. It stands as the first consortium to comprehensively explore the predictive and preventive aspects through omics- and microbiome-related, immunological, and environmental factors.
The study, “Defining the Pre-Disease Phase of Crohn’s Disease: Predict and Prevent,” will initially focus on analyzing blood-based biomarkers in healthy individuals before they develop Crohn’s disease, comparing them to those who remain disease-free.
By assessing blood samples collected before diagnosis across multiple cohorts, the goal is to identify unique early biomarkers, distinguishing this initiative from conventional approaches focused on symptomatic stages.
The primary patient collections are the PREDICTS study cohort (incident Crohn’s disease cases in the Defense Medical Surveillance System), the Nurses’ Health Study (prospective cohort of 250,000 health professionals reporting medical conditions for 30 years), and the Genetic, Environmental, and Microbial project cohort (healthy first-degree relatives of Crohn’s patients who later developed the disease).
“Motivated by the current limitations in Crohn’s treatments, effective for only about half of patients, our research seeks to redefine our understanding of the disease’s origins. Rather than solely concentrating on symptom management, our work aims to predict and prevent Crohn’s development,” says Inga Peter, PhD, Professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at Icahn Mount Sinai and a Co-Principal Investigator.
In collaboration with Co-Principal Investigators Jean-Frédéric Colombel, MD, Ken Croitoru, MDCM, and Hamed Khalili, MD, MPH, the team seeks to revolutionize Crohn’s management by identifying biomarkers for elevated disease risk. This could enable early monitoring, intervention, and prevention strategies. Additionally, insights into Crohn’s triggers and pathways may lead to innovative and more effective treatments for patients with established disease. Dr. Colombel is Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology) at Icahn Mount Sinai; Dr. Croitoru is Professor of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto; and Dr. Khalili is Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
“We are grateful for the generous support from the Helmsley Charitable Trust for our research. This initiative aims to transform health care by focusing on predicting and preventing Crohn’s disease, potentially making a significant impact on individuals at risk or currently facing the challenges of the condition,” says Dr. Colombel.
In addition to addressing significant research questions, the grant will also fund an international conference aimed at bringing together several investigators working with other pre-disease cohorts from around the world to devise and advance Crohn’s disease interception and treatment strategies.
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About the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is internationally renowned for its outstanding research, educational, and clinical care programs. It is the sole academic partner for the eight- member hospitals* of the Mount Sinai Health System, one of the largest academic health systems in the United States, providing care to a large and diverse patient population.
Ranked 14th nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and among the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges, Icahn Mount Sinai has a talented, productive, and successful faculty. More than 3,000 full-time scientists, educators, and clinicians work within and across 44 academic departments and 36 multidisciplinary institutes, a structure that facilitates tremendous collaboration and synergy. Our emphasis on translational research and therapeutics is evident in such diverse areas as genomics/big data, virology, neuroscience, cardiology, geriatrics, as well as gastrointestinal and liver diseases.
Icahn Mount Sinai offers highly competitive MD, PhD, and Master’s degree programs, with current enrollment of approximately 1,300 students. It has the largest graduate medical education program in the country, with more than 2,000 clinical residents and fellows training throughout the Health System. In addition, more than 550 postdoctoral research fellows are in training within the Health System.
A culture of innovation and discovery permeates every Icahn Mount Sinai program. Mount Sinai’s technology transfer office, one of the largest in the country, partners with faculty and trainees to pursue optimal commercialization of intellectual property to ensure that Mount Sinai discoveries and innovations translate into healthcare products and services that benefit the public.
Icahn Mount Sinai’s commitment to breakthrough science and clinical care is enhanced by academic affiliations that supplement and complement the School’s programs.
Through the Mount Sinai Innovation Partners (MSIP), the Health System facilitates the real-world application and commercialization of medical breakthroughs made at Mount Sinai. Additionally, MSIP develops research partnerships with industry leaders such as Merck & Co., AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, and others.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is located in New York City on the border between the Upper East Side and East Harlem, and classroom teaching takes place on a campus facing Central Park. Icahn Mount Sinai’s location offers many opportunities to interact with and care for diverse communities. Learning extends well beyond the borders of our physical campus, to the eight hospitals of the Mount Sinai Health System, our academic affiliates, and globally.
Contact
Karin Eskenazi
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
[email protected]
Cell: 332-257-1538