inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)

Aimal Khan, MD, with one of the 3D models he created to use during preoperative consultations. (photo by Donn Jones)
June 9, 2025

Presurgery consults with patients using 3D models improve shared decision-making and reduce anxiety 

The models allowed patients to easily distinguish the ascending colon from the sigmoid colon, along with other parts of the digestive system.

By Tom Wilemon
(Adobe Stock)
August 29, 2024

Study finds human milk component may protect adult intestinal health

The research may lead to new treatments for diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and mucositis, a severe complication of chemotherapy.

By Bill Snyder
January 9, 2024

Innovations improve the lives of patients with IBD

Two recent innovations — point-of-care intestinal ultrasound and functional medicine — are improving the lives of patients at the Vanderbilt Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks.

By Bill Snyder, Carol Poston, and Meredith Carr
The research team includes, left to right, Bruno Scaglioni, PhD; Keith Obstein MD, MPH; James Martin, PhD; Claire Landewee, BS; Simone Calò, PhD; and Pietro Valdastri, PhD. (hoto by Susan Urmy)
October 17, 2023

VISE-affiliated researchers conduct phase 1 trial of novel magnetic endoscope for colonoscopies

A Vanderbilt research team is conducting the first phase 1 clinical trial of a magnetic, flexible endoscope that has the potential to provide a safer alternative to standard colonoscopy, particularly for individuals with inflammatory bowel disease.

By Jill Clendening
Wenhan Zhu, PhD, recently received a research award from the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation.
March 23, 2023

Mathers Foundation award supports study of bacterial physiology

Vanderbilt’s Wenhan Zhu, PhD, has received a three-year award from the G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation to support his research that aims to answer a fundamental question about bacterial physiology and engineer probiotics to improve gut inflammatory diseases.

By Leigh MacMillan
Research by Christopher Peek, PhD, left, Jim Cassat, MD, PhD, and their colleagues reveals how gut inflammation leads to bone loss.
August 25, 2022

Vanderbilt researchers discover how gut inflammation leads to bone loss

Gastrointestinal inflammation, such as occurs in inflammatory bowel disease, triggers the expansion of a population of “bone-eating” cells, leading to bone loss.

By Leigh MacMillan
November 11, 2021

CRISPR screen identifies new anti-inflammatory drug target

A novel CRISPR screen developed by Vanderbilt researchers identified a promising new target for anti-inflammatory therapeutics.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 4, 2021

Probiotic protection

A probiotic factor given early in life to mice prevented intestinal inflammation in adulthood, providing a rationale for probiotic intervention in individuals at high risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease.
By Anivarya Kumar
February 10, 2021

Vanderbilt Health now offering endoscopy at One Hundred Oaks

The new Endoscopy Lab at One Hundred Oaks has expanded Vanderbilt Health’s options for endoscopic procedures including colonoscopies to screen for colorectal cancer.
By Leigh MacMillan
February 4, 2021

Potential biomarker for IBD severity, cancer risk identified

A selenium transport protein produced in the colon may be a novel biomarker for assessing disease severity and cancer risk in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
By Leigh MacMillan
November 20, 2019

Grant spurs effort to map biology of Crohn’s disease

VUMC has been awarded a three-year, $3 million grant to map — in unprecedented detail — the biology of Crohn’s disease.
By Bill Snyder
August 13, 2019

Host-microbe interactions in the gut

Vanderbilt investigators demonstrated that intestinal cells promote beneficial microbe behavior — the findings support developing microbiota-based therapies for intestinal health.
By Leigh MacMillan
July 30, 2019

Intestinal immune cell interactions

Understanding the roles of various immune cells that reside in the gut lining could shed light on inflammatory bowel diseases.
By Leigh MacMillan