IBD Genetics Consortium

The NIDDK Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium (IBDGC) was created to advance genetic research on Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. The overall objective of the Consortium is the identification of genes or genomic regions that are associated with increased risk of IBD and with specific phenotypic manifestations. The IBDGC has two primary responsibilities:

Manage a repository of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis biospecimen for use by the Consortium members and the external scientific community.

Conduct genetic analyses to identify genes and loci associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

The Data Coordinator Center (DCC), led by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the University of Chicago, manages the IBDGC:

  • Judy H. Cho, MD, Principal Investigator
  • Ronald A. Thisted, PhD, PhD, Scientific Director of DCC operations, University of Chicago
  • Yashoda Sharma, PhD, Project Administrator
  • Phil Schumm, MA, Technical Director of DCC operations, University of Chicago

 

In addition, the IBDGC consists of six genetic research centers (GRC):

  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai – Judy H. Cho, MD
  • Cedars Sinai Medical Center – Dermot B. P. McGovern, MD, PhD, MRCP
  • Johns Hopkins University – Steven R. Brant, MD
  • University of Montreal – John D. Rioux, PhD
  • University of Pittsburgh – Richard H. Duerr, MD
  • University of Toronto – Mark Silverberg, MD, PhD, FRCPC

 

The DCC facilitates scientific interaction between individual GRCs through the collection, organization and analysis of study data, especially with the use of common data structures, existing and novel analytic approaches, and testing of interrelated hypotheses.

We are involved with independent genetic research studies and actively work with members of the IBD and genetic communities on collaborative projects. Our studies utilize DNA and other biospecimens from patients affected with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and healthy controls. Genetic information is analyzed as we strive to identify and better understand the way in which IBD manifests and how certain genetic traits contribute to this manifestation. Together, we have implicated 163 genetic loci with IBD susceptibility.