Helmsley Trust Awards $5 Million for Study of Crohn's Disease in Asia
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has announced grants totaling $5.2 million to the Australasian Gastro Intestinal Research Foundation and the Chinese University of Hong Kong to study environmental factors that influence the development of inflammatory bowel diseases in Asia.
The three-year grants will support researchers affiliated with the ENIGMA (Eastern Inflammatory Bowel Disease Gut Microbiota) consortium working to identify microbial organisms and related dietary factors that contribute to the development of Crohn’s disease, one of two major forms of IBD and a lifelong disabling condition. Rates of Crohn’s in Australia are among the highest in the world, while rates in the developing world have been rising rapidly, especially in China. By analyzing the factors that cause Crohn’s disease across different populations, the consortium hopes to better understand how environmental factors affect the disease and begin to develop dietary and bacterial modification therapies...