IBSEN III (IBSEN III - Inflammatory Bowel Disease in South Eastern Norway - Institute of Clinical Medicine (uio.no)) is an observational, prospective population-based inception cohort study, including patients at all 15 hospitals in the South Eastern Health Region (HSØ). In total 2254 IBD patients and controls were included between 2017 and 2019. Today, the five-year follow-up is ongoing, and the study has become one of the world largest treatment naïve, and population-based IBD cohorts. Importantly the study includes a very large biobank with biological materials sampled at time of diagnosis and prospectively at one and five years.

Thirteen ongoing PhD projects and one postdoc at seven hospitals in HSØ is a major asset for the IBD research environment not only at OUH but in the whole region. The PhD projects span from clinical epidemiology, PROM-research, dietary epidemiology, and health economy to cutting edge translational projects on microbiomics, proteomics and transcriptomics.

Ongoing sub projects from the IBSEN study:

Mortality and cancer risk in inflammatory bowel disease; Results from 30 year follow-up (PhD project Benoit Follin-Arbelet)

NORDTREAT (NORDTREAT - Örebro University (oru.se)), funded by the Nordforsk Personalised Medicine call in 2018 aims to i) assess top-down treatment in IBD patients with a high risk of poor disease course, defined by a novel serum protein signature and ii) explore potential additional novel biomarkers in collaboration with the Nordic biomedical industrial sector. We are currently including patients at 15 Nordic centers in the first randomized and biomarker stratified treatment strategy trial in IBD world-wide. 

The NORDTREAT consortium includes clinicians, researchers and SMEs from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland.

OUH IBD registry and biobank  (https://oslo-universitetssykehus.no/personvern/informasjonsportal-for-deg-som-har-avgitt-bredt-samtykke/forskningsregister-og-biobank-for-pasienter-med-inflammatorisk-tarmsykdom )

A single-center registry of IBD patients treated at OUH Ullevål Gastroenterology Department for prospective collection of clinical data and biologic material.

The main aim is to contribute to further research on possible prognostic and predictive factors in IBD, mainly focusing on patients receiving biologics and other targeted therapies.

TRIN is collaboration with OUS, UiO and Takeda using Norwegian nationwide health registry data to assess incidence, prevalence, treatment strategies and disease outcomes in IBD.

PhD project Jonas Lundekvam

An interventional study in which patients with ulcerative colitis not responding to anti-TNF therapy will receive an adjuvant, probiotic dietary supplement. The study will explore the role of gut microbiota in anti-TNF therapy, hoping to contribute to the understanding of why one third of ulcerative colitis patients do not respond to this treatment. 

PhD project Karoline Anisdahl

The aim of the project is to assess how the introduction of biosimilars affects the use of biologics in the IBD population in terms of increased overall use and implied earlier initiation. In addition, we aim to assess whether biosimilars change clinical practice regarding prescription habits and drug persistence. The project is a collaboration with TRIN.

A clinical study where patients previously treated with intravenous vedolizumab are switched over to treatment with the subcutaneous formulation. The aim is to assess feasibility and safety over a course of 18 months. Data registration lasts until December 2022. 

The project is part of the Gravitate-Health Public-Private Partnership (www.gravitatehealth.eu). The project aims to develop and test an integrated, digital, user-centric health information tool to facilitate access to tailored and personalized information about disease and medicines. In this study, patients with inflammatory bowel disease’ (IBD) health information needs, the preferred and valued sources of information will be explored to identify key aspects of health information to promote self-management and facilitating evidence – based information that meets the patients’ needs. The digital health information tool (CABAPLE) will piloted to assure that understandable, relevant, concrete and evidence-based health information are adapted to the individual's needs, level of health literacy and health condition. 

A prospective, open randomized, parallel-Group study to evaluate the outcome of discontinuing vs. continuing anti-TNF in UC patients in remiss.

Link to UiO home page

PI postdoc Brian Chung, NoPSC center, in collaboration with the IBD research group.

Group leader: Marte Lie Høivik