Lay summary
In Aotearoa-NZ rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are increasing by 5.6% every year. The recent surge in IBD has been linked to interactions between underlying genetics and our environment, with epigenetics as the proposed mediating link. Currently, there are no specific tests available to assess whether a patient will respond to a particular treatment for IBD, with algorithms relying on a “trial and error” approach. In this project, we aim to understand how environmental factors in Aotearoa-NZ are linked to increasing rates of IBD. We will investigate specific epigenetic biomarkers that can help diagnose IBD and predict patients response to biologic therapies (to cohorts from Oxford and Christchurch/Waikato). We will then translate these findings to develop a simple novel test to rapidly detect diagnosis and signature of biological prediction in a clinical setting.