Research

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an umbrella term used to describe two diseases: Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). These are complex immune-mediated diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, characterised by a relapse-remitting disease course. Hence, IBD is difficult to predict and to adequately treat. Since IBD is a complex, heterogeneous and unpredictable disease, there is an urgent need for biomarkers, which are objectively measured parameters of (ab)normal biological processes or -systems, which may help to (early) diagnose and classify IBD, to assess disease activity and disease complications, and to accurately predict how a patients’ disease course will develop and/or how a patient will respond to a particular treatment.

My work

My research is primarily focused on the discovery and application of novel biomarker signatures in patients with IBD, while also assessing their potential for therapeutic modulation (e.g., through dietary interventions) and their utility to predict clinical outcomes (e.g., response to established medical treatment). Working at the intersection of gastroenterology, immunology and molecular biology, my strategy is to identify functionally relevant disease markers derived from different biological systems (e.g., the immune system, host genetics, the gut microbiome) and -mechanisms (e.g., inflammatory pathways, oxidative stress and redox signalling, iron metabolism and hypoxia) and carefully examine these signatures through detailed phenotypic patient stratification. By adopting this multi-faceted approach and studying the interplay between different pathophysiological entities, my ultimate aim is to develop and validate clinically applicable prediction models using evidence-based translational biomarkers.

My motivation and vision

My personal motivation originates from my clinical experience with the disease burden of patients with IBD. This impressed me and encouraged me to improve IBD care, starting with developing clinically implementable biomarker-based tools for disease diagnostics, disease activity and behaviour, drug response and pre-diagnostic IBD. I noticed that especially the latter is heavily understudied, which puzzled me since I believe that the development of predictive tools holds massive potential for disease prevention and thus would allow patients a longer healthy life. I aim to identify and apply biomarkers for intercepting the preclinical phase of IBD and establish an early diagnosis, and subsequently assess the potential for preventive measures such as lifestyle modifications, dietary interventions and early therapy initiation. Ultimately, my future ambition is to improve patients’ quality of life using molecular biomarker signatures.

I enjoy working with students (bachelor-, master- and PhD-students) and fellow young scientists, and encouraging them to contribute to science. I am always open to anyone who is interested in doing a research project or scientific internship. For more information about the possibilities, feel free to contact me: a.r.bourgonje@umcg.nl.

Keywords

Biomarkers; inflammatory bowel disease; immune-mediated inflammatory diseases; immunity; oxidative stress; inflammation; fibrosis; redox; autoimmune disorders; intestinal inflammatory diseases; multi-omics; clinical research.