University of Miami IBD Genetic Research Center: Understanding the Genetic Architecture of IBD in the South Florida community

University Of Miami School Of Medicine, Coral Gables FL

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a common and devastating immune-mediated disease in which the mucosal immune system abnormally recognizes the intestinal bacterial flora leading to chronic inflammation. Approximately, 1% of the US population is affected. The causes of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) lie in the interplay between host response genes and a microbiome with pathogenic properties. IBD incidence has leveled off in the developed world and rising in the newly industrialized world. In the US, we are witnessing a rising incidence in immigrants from low-risk parts of the world, particularly Hispanics. This provides an opportunity for discovery of disease pathogenesis towards a goal of prevention and improved therapies. Our group has a dedicated research interest on IBD in Latin-American immigrants and American-born Hispanic patients. We have published highly-cited studies of the genotype and phenotype of IBD in the Hispanic population of South Florida. We have also described disparities in medication usage and surgical rates. Important for the notion that IBD is caused by a gene-environment interaction, we have found that IBD is occurring faster in the last 20 years in immigrants from Latin-America. Miami-Dade County is over 50% Hispanic, and Florida has the 3rd largest Hispanic population with the most diverse countries of origin representation. To enhance our research capabilities, we are requesting supplemental funding to add a new research coordinator focused on improving participant engagement, recruitment, and retention, particularly among Hispanic communities in South Florida. This coordinator will receive comprehensive training in culturally competent recruitment strategies and research coordination. While the parent project has made significant progress, the addition of this coordinator will enable us to open four new recruitment sites and increase overall study participation, addressing social barriers faced by Hispanic IBD patients. Our research will explore genetic variation in a large set of US-born and foreign-born Hispanic IBD cases by focusing on targeted genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenetic differences between immigrant and first-generation Hispanic-Americans with IBD. We will investigate how genes and environment interact to result in diverse phenotypic manifestations of IBD. Our group has particular expertise in fine-mapping previously identified risk loci and assessing the impact of local genetic ancestry on genotype-ancestry interactions in relation to phenotypic characteristics. These studies will expand knowledge of disease phenotype and genetic underpinnings in IBD in this growing Hispanic cohort, with the goal of developing prevention and improved treatment approaches.