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Flagellin Discovery May Predict Crohn's Disease:
A new study, led by Dr. Ken Croitoru at Sinai Health has identified a new biomarker to detect Crohn’s disease (CD) before symptoms begin. Currently CD is diagnosis relies on symptoms and tissue change, which means treatment occurs after damage has already been caused. This new research focuses on early identification of CD before the disease has fully developed.
The team discovered that people who showed a heightened immune response (elevated antibodies) to flagellin, a protein found in the tail-like structures of certain bacteria, were more likely to later develop CD. The identified heightened immune response was targeted specifically to the flagellin of the Lachnospiraceae family, which is bacteria that is thought to be beneficial in a regular intestinal environment.
The study was able to occur using the GEM project, which has investigated 5,000 healthy first-degree relatives of people with CD, of which 130 participants have gone on to develop CD. On average participants were diagnose with CD about 2 and half years after these heightened immune responses to flagellin were detected.
These findings not only suggest that the immune system may play a role in the triggering the disease (rather than reacting to it) but also identify a new biomarker for CD. The development of a biomarker blood test could pave the way for identifying individuals at risk earlier, opening the door to prevention strategies and more proactive care.
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1542356525010316?via%3Dihub
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