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January 1, 2022
The 2021 Annual MECONIUM Study Newsletter is finally here!
Look out for your copy to arrive in the mail soon. You can also view the newsletter online here:
We have also published our 3rd Annual Newsletter for the MELODY Trial, which you can read online here:
November 22, 2021
Happy Thanksgiving!
One of our ongoing projects includes the Exposome and tooth collection project. The exposome encompasses the environmental exposures that we encounter, and how this influences our health. A previous study found that baby teeth of adults with IBD had higher levels of heavy metal exposures. Since milk teeth develop in utero and continue incorporating different exposures of minerals and metals, we hope to continue learning about the role of environmental exposures in IBD.
If your child has lost any teeth or if you need a tooth kit, you can contact us with any questions about the ongoing MECONIUM project, please call our Research Coordinators at 347-620-0210 or email the meconiumstudy@gmail.com
October 21, 2021
We are very excited to announce that the MECONIUM Study has been successfully renewed for 2 more years, extending the participation timeline for follow-up to 7 years!
This extension adds two timepoints for stool sample collection at 6 years and 7 years, as well as the optional collection of toenails and naturally shed milk teeth. The extended participation is of course completely optional and we thank all of our participants for making this extension possible!
January 1, 2021
The 2020 Annual MECONIUM Study Newsletter is finally here!
Look out for your copy to arrive in the mail soon. You can also view the newsletter online here:
February 18, 2020
Dr. Joao Sabino, Dr. Joana Torres, Dr. Jean-Frederic Colombel and Dr. Leonid Tarassishin represented the MECONIUM Study team at the 15th Annual Congress of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation in Vienna, Austria last week.
Dr. Joao Sabino (pictured above) presenting results from the MECONIUM Study in a talk titled “Influence of early life factors on the development of intestinal microbiota of infants born to mothers with and without IBD.”
Dr. Leonid Tarassishin (pictured above) presented our abstract, “Dynamics of intestinal inflammation and microbial dysbiosis in pregnant women with Inflammatory Bowel Disease and their infants.” Click on the title to view the abstract!
December 13, 2019
The 2019 Annual MECONIUM Study Newsletter is finally here!
Look out for your copy to arrive in the mail soon. You can also view the newsletter online here:
We have also published our 1st Annual Newsletter for the MELODY Trial, which you can read online here:
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year from the MECONIUM Study team. We are looking forward to another exciting year of research and we are so grateful for your continued participation.
June 1, 2019
We are very excited to announce the launch of the MELODY Trial!!!
The MELODY Trial, which stands for “Modulating Early Life Microbiome Through Dietary Intervention in Pregnancy,” is a new clinical trial by the MECONIUM Team in collaboration with Ms. Barbara Olendzki, RD MPH LDN and Dr. Ana Maldonado of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
The initial results of the MECONIUM Study show that babies born to mothers with IBD demonstrate gut microbiota dysbiosis through the first three months of life. This dysbiosis can impact the mother’s risk of disease relapse post-partum and can impair the baby’s immune system development, increasing future risk of developing IBD.
Based on these results, we have recently launched a clinical trial that will implement a diet intervention followed during the third trimester of pregnancy by women with Crohn’s disease. We aim to show that the diet can beneficially shift the microbiome of women with Crohn’s disease and their newborn babies, thereby decreasing risk of disease relapse and decreasing transmission of disease risk to the baby.
The trial, called the MELODY Trial (Modulating Early Life Microbiome through Dietary Intervention in Crohn’s Disease) aims to prevent transmission of risk of Crohn’s disease in high risk individuals through diet manipulation of the microbiome.
If you are pregnant (less than 30 weeks), you are eligible to participate in the trial, which involves collection of stool, saliva, umbilical cord blood, meconium, stool diapers, breast milk, and health history and diet assessment questionnaires. Participation lasts through the baby’s first birthday.
If you are interested in learning more or wish to enroll in the MELODY Trial, you can contact the study team at:
themelodytrial@gmail.com
or visit our website: https://www.umassmed.edu/nutrition/melody-trial-info/
April 29, 2019
We are very excited to announce that the first results from the MECONIUM Study have been published in the journal Gut this month!!!
You can view the full text of the publication here: Infants born to mothers with IBD present with altered gut microbiome that transfers abnormalities of the adaptive immune system to germ-free mice
The preliminary results of the study show show that altered gut microbiota composition persists during pregnancy with IBD and alters the bacterial diversity and abundance in the infant stool. The results also show that the microbiota from pregnant women with IBD and their babies triggered abnormal imprinting of the intestinal immune system in germ-free mice.
We are looking forward to expanding on this research with further analyses. Many thanks to our invaluable MECONIUM Study participating families for their contributions, time, and effort. This research truly would not be possible without you!
March 7, 2019
Dr. Joana Torres and Nilendra Nair of the MECONIUM Study Team presented the MECONIUM Study research at the 14th Annual Congress of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation.
Nilendra presented our abstract titled “Assessment of Metal Exposures in Deciduous Teeth of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”
July 9, 2018
Dr. Brian Hu of the MECONIUM Team attended the 7th International Human Microbiome Consortium meeting on June 26th-28th in Killarney, Ireland.
There he presented our research in the abstract titled “Differential microbial composition in umbilical cord blood and placenta by maternal IBD status.” Click here to view the abstract!
June 30, 2018
Several members of the MECONIUM Study Team presented research results at the 1st Annual New York Crohn’s and Colitis Organization Research Symposium!
Thanks to NYCCO for letting us participate in this inspiring event; the first of many annual symposiums to come!
Dr. Brian Hu presented our abstract, “Differences in the Microbial Composition in Cord Blood and Placenta by Maternal IBD Status.”
Dr. Akihiro Seki presented our abstract, “The Gut Microbiota of Pregnant Women with Crohn’s Disease and their Babies is Associated with Abnormalities in the Adaptive Immune System: Results from the MECONIUM Study.”
Project Manager Caroline Eisele presented our abstract, “The psycho-emotional experience of pregnancy in women with IBD and correlation with gut microbiome.”
Check out the NYCCO website to read more about this event!
June 6, 2018
Drs. Leonid Tarassishin and Brian Hu of the MECONIUM Study team attended the 2018 Digestive Disease Week conference from June 2-5th in Washington, DC.
They presented the following abstracts from our study. Click on each abstract to read the full abstract!
“Differences in the Microbial Composition in Cord Blood and Placenta by Maternal IBD Status”
“Fecal Calprotectin in Babies Born to Mothers with or without IBD and Correlation with Microbiome”
“Fecal Lactoferrin is a reliable IBD biomarker during pregnancy”
“The pscyho-emotional experience of pregnancy in women with IBD and correlation with gut microbiome”
February 20, 2018
Dr. Joana Torres and Caroline Eisele of the MECONIUM Study team attended the 2018 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation 13th Annual Conference in Vienna Austria, February 14-17.
Dr. Torres presented the MECONIUM Study research in two talks, one titled “Can we diagnose pre-symptomatic IBD?” and another titled “The gut microbiota of pregnant women with Crohn’s Disease and their babies is associated with abnormalities in the adaptive immune system – results from the MECONIUM Study.”
The MECONIUM Study team also had three posters presented at the conference, titled:
“Fecal Lactoferrin is a reliable IBD biomarker during pregnancy – results from the MECONIUM Study”
Dr. Torres won the award for best talk in her session.
We were so honored to be able to share results from the MECONIUM Study at the ECCO conference!
Dr. Joana Torres of the MECONIUM Study presented our research at the 4th International Symposium on Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease hosted by the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition in Barcelona, September 13-16 2017, in a talk titled “Early life events and the microbiome: when does risk for IBD start?”
May 10, 2017
The MECONIUM Study team attended the Digestive Disease Week conference in Chicago, May 6-9.
Dr. Joana Torres presenting updated results from the study.
Nile Nair, Dr. Brian Hu, and Dr. Joana Torres enjoying the conference!
April 24, 2017
Dr. Inga Peter, Principal Investigator of the MECONIUM Study, presented an update on the study progress at the 2017 meeting of the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IOIBD) in Stresa, Italy, April 20-23.
IOIBD is dedicated to promoting the health of people with IBD and to setting the direction for patient care, education and research, with the long-term goal of elucidation of the cause of these diseases and the development of a causal and curative treatment. To learn more about IOIBD, visit http://www.ioibd.org/
Dr. Inga Peter and Dr. Siew Ng of the MECONIUM Study at the 2017 IOIBD meeting!
April 20, 2017
The MECONIUM Study team presented our most recent abstract, titled “Infants Born to Mothers with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Exhibit Distinct Microbiome Features That Persist up to 3 Months of Life,” at the 19th Annual Icahn School of Medicine Child Health Research Day on April 20, 2017. Thanks so much to the Child Health Research Day Advisory Committee for having us!
March 17, 2017
The MECONIUM Study has started an exciting new collaboration with the research team of Dr. Siew C. Ng, MD, of the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. As the incidence of Inflammatory bowel disease has increased over the last several decades in Asia, research is needed to understand what factors are contributing to this change. According to Dr. Ng, “The increase is most likely due to changes in environmental factors and triggers that have occurred in Asia over the past several decades. Disease emergence in developing nations suggests that epidemiologic evolution is related to westernization of lifestyle and industrialization.” You can read Dr. Ng’s full interview with the Journal of Intestinal Ressearch on emerging trends of Inflammatory bowel disease in Asia here.
With the goal of prevention of IBD, The MECONIUM Study both in the United States and in Hong Kong can help us to better understand the risk factors that contribute to development of the disease.
We are looking forward to a successful collaboration with Dr. Ng and her wonderful team at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
February 21, 2017
Dr. Joana Torres of the MECONIUM Study Team presented the latest results of the MECONIUM Study in a talk titled “Infants Born to Mothers with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Exhibit Distinct Microbiome Features That Persist up to 3 Months of Life” at the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation 12th Annual Congress on February 18th in Barcelona! 
December 31, 2016
The MECONIUM Study 2016 Holiday Newsletter is here! See the newsletter here and check your mailbox for the printed copy to be arriving soon!
Happy New Year to all of our study participants and collaborators!
Best, Wishes,
The MECONIUM Study Team
November 28, 2016
Dr. Inga Peter, Dr. Saurabh Mehandru, and Dr. Jeremiah Faith have received an Innovator Award from the Kenneth Rainin Foundation for the study “Bacterial Transmission in Utero and Newborn Mucosal Immunity in IBD.”
Through this grant we aim to identify particular bacterial strains transmitted from the mother to her baby in the context of IBD and to transplant the specific bacteria identified in the IBD mother-baby pairs into germ-free mice to characterize their inflammatory state.
Our study could inform future clinical trials of microbial manipulation of the maternal microbiome through diet, food supplementation and, if needed, fecal transplantation as a possible strategy to reduce and even prevent an IBD risk transmission from the mother to the baby, and to foster the development of a healthy microbiome in the offspring.
November 11, 2016
The MECONIUM Study Team attended the International Human Microbiome Consortium’s 6th Annual Congress from November 9-11th in Houston, TX. Drs. Joana Torres and Brian Hu having some fun between sessions!
November 3, 2016
We are very proud to announce that the MECONIUM Study Team was awarded the 2016 Annual Dean’s Healthcare System Team Science Award sponsored by the Institutes for Translational Sciences at Mount Sinai for its great potential to lead to novel translational therapeutic approaches impactful for human health.
October 20, 2016
The MECONIUM Study was featured in the latest issue of Mount Sinai Science and Medicine magazine in their feature article, “Through the Eyes of Patients: Perspectives on Mount Sinai Care.”
Check out the full article by clicking here!
Thanks so much as always to our wonderful participating families who make this research possible!
October 5, 2016
UPDATE: The MECONIUM Study has been renewed for another year by the Icahn School of Medicine Institutional Review Board with some exciting changes!
The study timeline has been extended to the first 5 years of baby’s life. We’ve added three additional stool sample collections from baby, at 3 years, 4 years, and 5 years.
The total compensation for participation has been increased accordingly to $400, prorated based on samples collected.
This extended follow-up is optional for participating families that enrolled in the MECONIUM Study before October 8, 2016.
October 2, 2016
The MECONIUM Study Team attended the
Brooklyn BabyFEST 2016 at the Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint on Sunday, October 2.
Thanks so much for stopping by our table to learn more about our research! We loved meeting everyone at the event.
For information about the event: http://brooklynbabyfest.com/
August 4, 2016
We are so excited to announce that over 100 babies enrolled in the MECONIUM Study have been born! Thanks so much to all of our dedicated families for collecting the meconium samples and sending them in to us. This research would not be possible without you!
Update: If you are pregnant again and would like to continue your participation in the study throughout your next pregnancy, please let research coordinator Caroline know by emailing caroline.eisele@mssm.edu. Thank you!
June 6, 2016
For our participants with babies aged 2-6 months: would you like to participate in another research study?
The Life After Pregnancy Study is a one-time online survey conducted by researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University asking about your thoughts, feelings, and opinions on being a mother and taking care of your baby. The goal is to learn about how mothers are handling both the joys and stresses of being a parent and taking care of babies, to help future mothers and families live happier and healthier lives.
If you are interested, you can take the survey here: https://redcap.nchri.org/surveys/?s=CF9HJN33J7
To thank you for your time, you can be entered into a drawing to win one of four $250 gift cards to Walmart, Target or Amazon.com after completing the survey.
If you have any questions, please contact 614-355-3578 or laps@nationwidechildrens.org.
June 6, 2016
Many thanks to all who joined us last night at the Jewish Crohn’s and Colitis Support Group’s Road to Prevention “Ladies Only” Education Symposium and Support Event held in Monroe, NY.
A team of physicians and researchers at Mount Sinai including Dr. Jean-Frederic Colombel, Dr. Marla Dubinsky, Dr. Jeremiah Faith, Dr. Judy Cho, Dr. Inga Peter, Dr. Keith Benkov, and Dr. Asher 
Kornbluth, spoke about the history of IBD at Mount Sinai, the clinical course and behavior of Crohn’s disease and the importance of early diagnosis, the genetics of IBD in the Ashkenzai Jewish population, the effect of diet and environment on the body’s bacterial profile, the possibility of prevention of IBD, and the effect of IBD on fertility.
The team also talked about the ongoing studies being conducted at Mount Sinai in the “Road to Prevention” program, including the MECONIUM Study.
The talks were followed by a very informative Question and Answer session. Thank you to all who contributed to this discussion.
For more information about the Jewish Crohn’s and Colitis Support Group, visit http://jccsg.blogspot.com/
May 25, 2016
This weekend the MECONIUM Study Team attended Digestive Disease Week 2016 in San Diego, California.
We presented our initial results in a poster during the Microbiome: Structure and Function poster session. Thanks to all who stopped by our poster for your interest and support of this exciting research study!
To learn more about DDW visit http://www.ddw.org/
May 13, 2016
Last night, the MECONIUM Study Team attended the New York City Take Steps for 
Crohn’s and Colitis Walk, held at South Street Seaport in NYC.
Dr. James Marion of the MECONIUM Study Team was the GI Honored Hero of the event, and the Feinstein IBD Center at Mount Sinai Team raised over $12,000 for crohn’s and colitis research.
To learn more about this and future CCFA events, visit www.cctakesteps.org/nyc2016.
March 20, 2016
The MECONIUM Study Team presented our research at the 11th Congress of the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO) in Amsterdam last week.
Our poster was featured in the Microbiology poster session, and Dr. Joana Torres gave an oral presentation in a session for Young ECCO members.
Read the full abstract here: Exploring MEChanisms Of IBD traNsmission In Utero through the Microbiome: the MECONIUM Study Pilot
For more information about the conference, visit https://www.ecco-ibd.eu/ecco16
March 12, 2016
On Saturday, March 12, the MECONIUM Stud
y Team attended The Mamas Network Expo at the New York Hall of Science.
We had a great time meeting lots of families and getting the word out about the MECONIUM Study. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the table!
For more information about the event, visit http://www.themamasexpo.com/
February 3, 2016
Congratulations to Dr. Jose Clemente of the MECONIUM Study Team for his recently published work, “Partial restoration of the microbiota of cesarean-born infants via vaginal microbial transfer,” in Nature Medicine.
Read the paper in Nature Medicine or read the full Mount Sinai Press Release.
Read media coverage of the study in Reuters, Huffington Post, Science, NPR, LA Times, and Australia ABC.
February 1, 2016
Today we enrolled our 100th family in the MECONIUM Study!
Many thanks to all of the MECONIUM Study families for your participation in this exciting research! It would not be possible without you!
January 10, 2016
The MECONIUM Study is featured by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s New York City Chapter in their January 2016 Newsletter! View the newsletter here: CCFA NYC January 2016 Newsletter
Visit the CCFA Clinical Trials and Studies Listing to learn about other IBD research studies funded by the CCFA.
November 9, 2015
The MECONIUM Study Team attended the ROAD TO PREVENTION Education Symposium and Support Event hosted by the Jewish Crohn’s and Colitis Support Group in Brooklyn, NY.
The IBD Genetics Team at Mount Sinai addressed the history of IBD at Mount Sinai, the clinical course and behavior of Crohn’s disease, the genetics of IBD in the Ashkenzai Jewish population, the effect of diet and environment on the body’s bacterial profile, the possibility of prevention of IBD, and the effect of IBD on fertility. The talks were followed by a very informative Question and Answer session.
We would like to thank everyone in attendance for their thoughtful questions and their interest in learning more!
For more information about the Jewish Crohn’s and Colitis Support Group, visit http://jccsg.blogspot.com/
October 11, 2015
The MECONIUM Study Team attended the CCFA Take Steps For Crohn’s and Colitis: Walking for a Cure event held in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY on October 11, 2015.
With over 300 participants, the event raised over $52,000 for Crohn’s and Colitis research!
For more information on the event, and how to get involved in future CCFA events, visit: http://www.ccfa.org/get-involved/take-steps.html
Our visibility:
The MECONIUM Study is featured on babycenter.com, ResearchMatch.org, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America’s Clinical Trials Registry, and the Icahn School of Medicine Clinical Trials listing!
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