A research team at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), led by Dr. Emilia Liana Falcone, have identified a promising new treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in patients with a rare immune disorder called chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). Approximately 50% of individuals with CGD develop IBD, making this discovery particularly significant for this vulnerable population.
The novel therapeutic strategy demonstrated strong efficacy in preclinical models, including mice and human cells, with minimal or no toxicity. Unlike many current treatments that further compromise immune functions, this approach targets inflammation without weakening the immune system—a breakthrough that could also benefit patients with IBD in the general population.
“Our findings open the door to a safer and more effective treatment option for individuals living with CGD and potentially for millions affected by IBD worldwide,” said Dr. Falcone, Director of the IRCM’s Microbiome and Inflammatory Diseases Research Unit.
This research, just published in Blood, underscores the importance of developing therapies that balance inflammation control with immune system integrity, offering hope for improved quality of life for patients. Emma Darbinian, who earned her PhD in Dr. Falcone’s laboratory, is the first author of the study.
Acknowledgements
Dr. Emilia Liana Falcone is supported by a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC2) in Role of the Microbiome in Inborn Errors of Immunity and Post-Infectious Conditions, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ). Emma Darbinian is also supported by the FRQ. The work was funded by the CRC2, the FRQ Clinical Research Scholars - Junior 1 Establishment Funds for Young Investigators, the John R. Evans Leaders Fund from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), the J-Louis Lévesque Foundation Research Chair, and the Mirella and Lino Saputo Foundation.
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of:
Ovidiu Jumanca, Manon Laprise, Mariane Canuel, Aude Daigneault (IRCM Animal Care Facility); Eric Massicotte, Julie Lord-Gagnon (IRCM Flow Cytometry Platform); Denis Faubert, Marguerite Boulos (IRCM Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Platform); Benoît Cousineau, Caroline Monat (McGill Genome Center); Louis Marois, Hugo Chapdelaine, Guilhem Cros, Wafa Djouimaa, Charlotte Du Sablon (IRCM Immunology Biobank).
