CMIT Clinical Scientist receives IBD journal award

CMIT Clinical Scientist Marjolein Klaassen, MD, PhD was selected for the Inflammatory Bowel Diseases journal’s award for best basic science/translational article of 2024, for “Exploring the Predictive Value of Gut Microbiome Signatures for Therapy Intensification in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A 10-year follow-up study.”

The paper, which Dr. Klaassen co-senior authored with Dr. Ranko Gacesa of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, shows that microbiome composition may be predictive of IBD patients’ need for future intensification of their treatment regimens. The researchers analyzed associations between the taxonomic and functional composition of the gut microbiomes of 90 IBD patients and their treatment trajectories over the next ten years. They identified 12 microbial species and 16 functional pathways that were significantly correlated with the need for future therapy intensification, suggesting that the microbiome may hold value as a predictive tool for clinicians to create more effective, personalized treatment plans for IBD patients.

Dr. Klaassen received the award on February 6 at the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation Congress in San Francisco, CA.