Our research in print
Publications
Research led by Edinburgh IBD and developed through our major collaborations, arranged by year. Our selected papers explain the research and why it matters.
166 publications
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2026
The efficacy and safety of etrasimod as a first-line advanced therapy for ulcerative colitis: prespecified and post hoc subgroup data from the ELEVATE UC clinical program.
Associations between demographic, clinical and dietary factors and flares in inflammatory bowel disease: the PRognostic effect of Environmental factors in Crohn's and Colitis (PREdiCCt) prospective cohort study.
PREdiCCt followed 2,629 people with IBD in self-reported remission across 47 UK centres for a median of 4.1 years. Higher faecal calprotectin was strongly associated with later flares. Higher meat intake was associated with objectively confirmed flares in ulcerative colitis, while no consistent links emerged for ultra-processed foods or fibre. The findings connect everyday exposures with disease activity and help shape dietary trials; they do not establish that changing diet prevents flares.
Forecasting the Incidence and Prevalence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Across Nine Epidemiologic Stage 3 Regions.
Real-world evidence on medication patterns in inflammatory bowel disease the first decade after diagnosis.
Using nationwide Danish records, this study followed 36,179 people who received IBD treatment in the first year after diagnosis. Advanced therapies increasingly shaped Crohn’s disease care, while 5-ASA remained central in ulcerative colitis. Around half of those followed to year ten had no IBD medication recorded that year. The findings show how treatment changes over a decade, helping patients, clinicians and health services understand longer-term patterns of care.
Global patterns of disease progression in inflammatory bowel disease: a comprehensive synthesis of contemporary population-based cohorts.
2025
Large-Scale Clustering of Longitudinal Fecal Calprotectin and C-Reactive Protein Profiles in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Using repeated stool and blood measurements from Lothian and Denmark, this study identified distinct patterns of inflammation over time, from rapid remission to persistent or relapsing disease. Similar patterns appeared in the Danish replication cohorts, but faecal calprotectin and C-reactive protein often placed the same person in different groups. The findings show why a patient’s course needs to be understood over time, using more than one measure.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Risk of More than 1,500 Comorbidities: A Disease-wide Prediagnostic and Postdiagnostic Phenomic Association Study.
Drawing on more than six million healthcare contacts, this Danish study examined 1,583 conditions before and after IBD diagnosis, with comparison against Finnish data. It identified 312 significant associations, including 125 before diagnosis. Some immune, metabolic and psychological conditions were more common years before IBD was recognised. The findings strengthen the case for care that looks beyond the bowel and open new questions about the early development of IBD and associated health problems.
Twenty-Year Trends in Colectomy Rates and Advanced Therapy Prescribing in Lothian, Scotland.
Drawing on the Lothian IBD Registry, this study tracked ulcerative colitis care from 2004 to 2023. Annual colectomy rates fell from 2.48 to 0.22 per 100 people with ulcerative colitis, while advanced therapy prescribing increased substantially. The trends provide a population-level view of changing outcomes and a benchmark for future care, although the study cannot establish how much of the reduction was caused by treatment.
Is 2nd JAKi treatment for UC worth the effort? A retrospective, multi-centre UK study.
The effectiveness of second- and-third-line biologics in perianal Crohn's disease-a multicenter propensity score-matched study.
Global evolution of inflammatory bowel disease across epidemiologic stages.
This international study brings together 522 population-based studies from 82 regions to trace how IBD has spread over a century. It shows that, even where new diagnoses stabilise, the number of people living with IBD can continue to rise. By defining stages of this changing burden and modelling what may come next, the work offers a framework for planning the care and resources that patients will need.
The Effect of Etrasimod on Fecal Calprotectin and High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein: Results From the ELEVATE UC Clinical Program.
2024
Tofacitinib Versus Vedolizumab Among Bio-naive Patients With Ulcerative Colitis: A Real-World Propensity-Weighted Comparison.
Evaluation of intestinal biopsy tissue preservation methods to facilitate large-scale mucosal microbiota research.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis: Adverse Inflammatory Bowel Disease Outcomes Following Acute COVID-19.
Non-serious adverse events in patients with ulcerative colitis receiving etrasimod: an analysis of the phase II OASIS and phase III ELEVATE UC 52 and ELEVATE UC 12 clinical trials.
Safety, Effectiveness, and Treatment Persistence of Subcutaneous Vedolizumab in IBD: A Multicenter Study From the United Kingdom.
Long-term outcomes and predictors of vedolizumab persistence in ulcerative colitis.
Real-world effectiveness of upadacitinib in Crohn's disease: a UK multicentre retrospective cohort study.
Mechanisms and management of loss of response to anti-TNF therapy for patients with Crohn's disease: 3-year data from the prospective, multicentre PANTS cohort study.
Commentary on the Epidemiology of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Compounding Prevalence Nations: Toward Sustaining Healthcare Delivery.
Antibody Responses to Influenza Vaccination are Diminished in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease on Infliximab or Tofacitinib.
Defining predictors of responsiveness to advanced therapies in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis: protocol for the IBD-RESPONSE and nested CD-metaRESPONSE prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study in precision medicine.
Validation of the ACE [Albumin, CRP, and Endoscopy] Index in Acute Colitis: Analysis of the CONSTRUCT dataset.
Defining Comprehensive Disease Control for Use as a Treatment Target for Ulcerative Colitis in Clinical Practice: International Delphi Consensus Recommendations.
Considerations for peripheral blood transport and storage during large-scale multicentre metabolome research.
2023
Real-world Cohort Study on the Effectiveness and Safety of Filgotinib Use in Ulcerative Colitis.
Genetic coding variant in complement factor B (CFB) is associated with increased risk for perianal Crohn's disease and leads to impaired CFB cleavage and phagocytosis.
Neutralising antibody responses against SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 and wild-type virus in patients with inflammatory bowel disease following three doses of COVID-19 vaccine (VIP): a prospective, multicentre, cohort study.
Modeling of Treatment Outcomes with Tofacitinib Maintenance Therapy in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis: A Post Hoc Analysis of Data from the OCTAVE Clinical Program.
HLA-DP on Epithelial Cells Enables Tissue Damage by NKp44(+) Natural Killer Cells in Ulcerative Colitis.
Longitudinal Fecal Calprotectin Profiles Characterize Disease Course Heterogeneity in Crohn's Disease.
In 356 people newly diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in Edinburgh, researchers analysed 2,856 faecal calprotectin measurements recorded within five years of diagnosis. Four distinct patterns emerged: one with persistently high calprotectin and three with different downward trajectories. These patterns offer a way to describe disease course through repeated measurements of inflammation, adding information beyond major complications. This approach could support more personalised monitoring; further work is needed before it can guide individual treatment decisions.
Analysis of Systemic Epigenetic Alterations in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Defining Geographical, Genetic and Immune-Inflammatory influences on the Circulating Methylome.
Multiple infliximab biosimilar switches appear to be safe and effective in a real-world inflammatory bowel disease cohort.
The gut microbiota and metabolome are associated with diminished COVID-19 vaccine-induced antibody responses in immunosuppressed inflammatory bowel disease patients.
Genome-Wide Methylation Profiling in 229 Patients With Crohn's Disease Requiring Intestinal Resection: Epigenetic Analysis of the Trial of Prevention of Post-operative Crohn's Disease (TOPPIC).
2022
Rates, predictive factors and effectiveness of ustekinumab intensification to 4- or 6-weekly intervals in Crohn's disease.
Neutralising antibody potency against SARS-CoV-2 wild-type and omicron BA.1 and BA.4/5 variants in patients with inflammatory bowel disease treated with infliximab and vedolizumab after three doses of COVID-19 vaccine (CLARITY IBD): an analysis of a prospective multicentre cohort study.
Infliximab and Tofacitinib Attenuate Neutralizing Antibody Responses Against SARS-CoV-2 Ancestral and Omicron Variants in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients After 3 Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine.
Vaccine escape, increased breakthrough and reinfection in infliximab-treated patients with IBD during the Omicron wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
Withdrawal of the British Society of Gastroenterology IBD risk grid for COVID-19 severity.
COVID-19 vaccine-induced antibody and T-cell responses in immunosuppressed patients with inflammatory bowel disease after the third vaccine dose (VIP): a multicentre, prospective, case-control study.
Implications for sequencing of biologic therapy and choice of second anti-TNF in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: results from the IMmunogenicity to Second Anti-TNF therapy (IMSAT) therapeutic drug monitoring study.
The Global Incidence of Peptic Ulcer Disease Is Decreasing Since the Turn of the 21st Century: A Study of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD).
Characterisation of the Circulating Transcriptomic Landscape in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Provides Evidence for Dysregulation of Multiple Transcription Factors Including NFE2, SPI1, CEBPB, and IRF2.
Risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes associated with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases and immune-modifying therapies: a nationwide cohort study in the OpenSAFELY platform.
Patterns of emergency admission for IBD patients over the last 10 years in Lothian, Scotland: a retrospective prevalent cohort analysis.
This study examined emergency hospital admissions among 8,211 people with IBD in Lothian from 2010 to 2019. Age-standardised IBD admission rates fell from 39.4 to 25.5 per 100,000 Lothian residents. Infection predominated in patients over 60, and 3% of the IBD cohort accounted for half of IBD-related hospital bed-days. These patterns highlight the need for support tailored to age and individual needs, alongside care that looks beyond bowel inflammation.
Author Correction: Somatic mosaicism and common genetic variation contribute to the risk of very-early-onset inflammatory bowel disease.
COVID-19 vaccine-induced antibody responses in immunosuppressed patients with inflammatory bowel disease (VIP): a multicentre, prospective, case-control study.
Disease Monitoring in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Evolving Principles and Possibilities.
This review by Nikolas Plevris and Charlie Lees examines how symptoms, blood and stool biomarkers, endoscopy and imaging can guide IBD care. It proposes a proactive monitoring strategy linked to treatment targets and key phases of disease, and considers how new technology could improve follow-up. The aim is practical: to recognise ongoing inflammation, check whether treatment is working and support timely decisions with patients.
Antibody decay, T cell immunity and breakthrough infections following two SARS-CoV-2 vaccine doses in inflammatory bowel disease patients treated with infliximab and vedolizumab.
Adalimumab and Infliximab Impair SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses: Results from a Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Study in 11 422 Biologic-Treated Patients.
2021
Prediction of Relapse After Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Cessation in Crohn's Disease: Individual Participant Data Meta-analysis of 1317 Patients From 14 Studies.
What is the Real Impact of Corticosteroids in the Contemporary Treatment of Crohn's Disease?
Real-world experience with tofacitinib in ulcerative colitis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Effectiveness and Safety of Adalimumab Biosimilar SB5 in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Outcomes in Originator to SB5 Switch, Double Biosimilar Switch and Bio-Naïve SB5 Observational Cohorts.
Prediction of early clinical response in patients receiving tofacitinib in the OCTAVE Induction 1 and 2 studies.
Systemic Inflammation in Preclinical Ulcerative Colitis.
Infliximab is associated with attenuated immunogenicity to BNT162b2 and ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in patients with IBD.
Real-world effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab for the treatment of Crohn's disease: the Scottish ustekinumab cohort.
SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for patients with inflammatory bowel disease - Authors' reply.
The Impact of NOD2 Genetic Variants on the Gut Mycobiota in Crohn's Disease Patients in Remission and in Individuals Without Gastrointestinal Inflammation.
Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody responses are attenuated in patients with IBD treated with infliximab.
Analysis of colectomy rates for ulcerative colitis in pre- and postbiological eras in Lothian, Scotland.
The ACE (Albumin, CRP and Endoscopy) Index in Acute Colitis: A Simple Clinical Index on Admission that Predicts Outcome in Patients With Acute Ulcerative Colitis.
SARS-CoV-2 vaccination for patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a British Society of Gastroenterology Inflammatory Bowel Disease section and IBD Clinical Research Group position statement.
2020
Normalization of Fecal Calprotectin Within 12 Months of Diagnosis Is Associated With Reduced Risk of Disease Progression in Patients With Crohn's Disease.
COVID-19 and IBD drugs: should we change anything at the moment?
Are we addressing the top 10 research priorities in IBD?
Environmental stimuli and gut inflammation via dysbiosis in mouse and man.
Vedolizumab is effective and safe in elderly inflammatory bowel disease patients: a binational, multicenter, retrospective cohort study.
Paediatric Patients (Less Than Age of 17 Years) Account for Less Than 1.5% of All Prevalent Inflammatory Bowel Disease Cases.
Adaptations to the British Society of Gastroenterology guidelines on the management of acute severe UC in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: a RAND appropriateness panel.
Temporal Trends in Surgical Resection Rates and Biologic Prescribing in Crohn's Disease: A Population-based Cohort Study.
This population-based study followed 1,753 people diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in Lothian between 2000 and 2017. Five-year risk of first surgery fell from 20.4% in the earliest diagnosis cohort to 13.0% in the latest, while biologic therapy became more common and was started earlier. The findings document changing treatment and outcomes in routine care, supporting further research into earlier intervention; they do not prove that biologics caused the fall in surgery.
Innovation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results of a Global Telemedicine Survey by the International Organization for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Organisational changes and challenges for inflammatory bowel disease services in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic.
British Society of Gastroenterology guidance for management of inflammatory bowel disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Somatic mosaicism and common genetic variation contribute to the risk of very-early-onset inflammatory bowel disease.
Higher anti-tumor necrosis factor levels are associated with perianal fistula healing and fistula closure in Crohn's disease.
2019
Association of trough vedolizumab levels with clinical, biological and endoscopic outcomes during maintenance therapy in inflammatory bowel disease.
Reply.
HLA-DQA1*05 Carriage Associated With Development of Anti-Drug Antibodies to Infliximab and Adalimumab in Patients With Crohn's Disease.
IBD prevalence in Lothian, Scotland, derived by capture-recapture methodology.
By checking multiple health-record sources and confirming diagnoses, this study measured IBD prevalence in Lothian in 2018. The observed figure was 784 per 100,000 people, reported as about one in 125; accounting for potentially missed cases increased the estimate to 832 per 100,000. The findings established the scale of IBD locally and provided a population research resource to help plan care for a growing and ageing patient population.
Association Between Level of Fecal Calprotectin and Progression of Crohn's Disease.
Real-world Effectiveness and Safety of Vedolizumab for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Scottish Vedolizumab Cohort.
Higher Adalimumab Drug Levels During Maintenance Therapy for Crohn's Disease Are Associated With Biologic Remission.
Predictors of anti-TNF treatment failure in anti-TNF-naive patients with active luminal Crohn's disease: a prospective, multicentre, cohort study.
PANTS followed 1,610 people with Crohn’s disease starting infliximab or adalimumab across the UK. Low drug concentrations at 14 weeks were associated with early non-response and failure to achieve remission at one year; anti-drug antibodies were an important part of this picture. The study established a strong rationale for testing more personalised dosing and monitoring, while recognising that observational findings alone do not prove that changing doses improves outcomes.
Faecal Calprotectin and Magnetic Resonance Enterography in Ileal Crohn's Disease: Correlations Between Disease Activity and Long-Term Follow-Up.
2018
Implementation of CT-P13 via a Managed Switch Programme in Crohn's Disease: 12-Month Real-World Outcomes.
Multiomics Analyses to Deliver the Most Effective Treatment to Every Patient With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
IBD risk loci are enriched in multigenic regulatory modules encompassing putative causative genes.
Insights into the genetic epidemiology of Crohn's and rare diseases in the Ashkenazi Jewish population.
Glycosylation of Immunoglobulin G Associates With Clinical Features of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
The Impact of NOD2 Variants on Fecal Microbiota in Crohn's Disease and Controls Without Gastrointestinal Disease.
2017
NOX1 loss-of-function genetic variants in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Fine-mapping inflammatory bowel disease loci to single-variant resolution.
Exploring the genetic architecture of inflammatory bowel disease by whole-genome sequencing identifies association at ADCY7.
Genome-wide association study implicates immune activation of multiple integrin genes in inflammatory bowel disease.
2016
Integrative epigenome-wide analysis demonstrates that DNA methylation may mediate genetic risk in inflammatory bowel disease.
Bilateral lower limb weakness in acute severe ulcerative colitis.
Relapse after withdrawal from anti-TNF therapy for inflammatory bowel disease: an observational study, plus systematic review and meta-analysis.
2015
Clinical Features and HLA Association of 5-Aminosalicylate (5-ASA)-induced Nephrotoxicity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.
Inherited determinants of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis phenotypes: a genetic association study.
Association analyses identify 38 susceptibility loci for inflammatory bowel disease and highlight shared genetic risk across populations.
High-density mapping of the MHC identifies a shared role for HLA-DRB1*01:03 in inflammatory bowel diseases and heterozygous advantage in ulcerative colitis.
Clinical utility and diagnostic accuracy of faecal calprotectin for IBD at first presentation to gastroenterology services in adults aged 16-50 years.
2014
Thiopurine withdrawal during sustained clinical remission in inflammatory bowel disease: relapse and recapture rates, with predictive factors in 237 patients.
Letter: faecal calprotectin and lactoferrin - accurate biomarkers in post-operative Crohn's disease - authors' reply. Letter: biologic therapies are effective for prevention of post-operative Crohn's disease recurrence - authors' reply.
Systematic review: The use of thiopurines or anti-TNF in post-operative Crohn's disease maintenance--progress and prospects.
Second European evidence-based consensus on the prevention, diagnosis and management of opportunistic infections in inflammatory bowel disease.
Letter: European Medicines Agency recommendations for allergic reactions to intravenous iron-containing medicines.
The impact of different DNA extraction kits and laboratories upon the assessment of human gut microbiota composition by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
Letter: Azathioprine-induced pancreatitis and subsequent tolerance of mercaptopurine--authors' reply.
2013
A trial of mercaptopurine is a safe strategy in patients with inflammatory bowel disease intolerant to azathioprine: an observational study, systematic review and meta-analysis.
The management of iron deficiency in inflammatory bowel disease--an online tool developed by the RAND/UCLA appropriateness method.
Human SNP links differential outcomes in inflammatory and infectious disease to a FOXO3-regulated pathway.
Genetic relationship between five psychiatric disorders estimated from genome-wide SNPs.
Dense genotyping of immune-related disease regions identifies nine new risk loci for primary sclerosing cholangitis.
Deep resequencing of GWAS loci identifies rare variants in CARD9, IL23R and RNF186 that are associated with ulcerative colitis.
2012
Multiple sclerosis in the context of TNF blockade and inflammatory bowel disease.
High-density genetic mapping identifies new susceptibility loci for rheumatoid arthritis.
Host-microbe interactions have shaped the genetic architecture of inflammatory bowel disease.
2011
NADPH oxidase complex and IBD candidate gene studies: identification of a rare variant in NCF2 that results in reduced binding to RAC2.
New IBD genetics: common pathways with other diseases.
Sarcoidosis complicating treatment with natalizumab for Crohn's disease.
Deep resequencing of GWAS loci identifies independent rare variants associated with inflammatory bowel disease.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms that increase expression of the guanosine triphosphatase RAC1 are associated with ulcerative colitis.
Meta-analysis identifies 29 additional ulcerative colitis risk loci, increasing the number of confirmed associations to 47.
Identification of ADAMTS7 as a novel locus for coronary atherosclerosis and association of ABO with myocardial infarction in the presence of coronary atherosclerosis: two genome-wide association studies.
Proteins encoded in genomic regions associated with immune-mediated disease physically interact and suggest underlying biology.
2010
Genetics of ulcerative colitis.
Genome-wide meta-analysis increases to 71 the number of confirmed Crohn's disease susceptibility loci.
Characterization of intestinal gene expression profiles in Crohn's disease by genome-wide microarray analysis.
Magnetic resonance follow-through imaging for evaluation of disease activity in ileal Crohn's disease: an observational, retrospective cohort study.
Rare copy number variants: a point of rarity in genetic risk for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
2009
Genome-wide association study of ulcerative colitis identifies three new susceptibility loci, including the HNF4A region.
Lack of association between cervical dysplasia and IBD: a large case-control study.
Genetics of inflammatory bowel disease: implications for disease pathogenesis and natural history.
Replication analysis identifies TYK2 as a multiple sclerosis susceptibility factor.
Combined effects of three independent SNPs greatly increase the risk estimate for RA at 6q23.
Genome-wide and fine-resolution association analysis of malaria in West Africa.
Genome-wide association study identifies eight loci associated with blood pressure.
Association of novel genetic Loci with circulating fibrinogen levels: a genome-wide association study in 6 population-based cohorts.
Efficacy and complications of adalimumab treatment for medically-refractory Crohn's disease: analysis of nationwide experience in Scotland (2004-2008).
The safety profile of anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in inflammatory bowel disease in clinical practice: analysis of 620 patient-years follow-up.
2008
Investigation of Crohn's disease risk loci in ulcerative colitis further defines their molecular relationship.
Analysis of germline GLI1 variation implicates hedgehog signalling in the regulation of intestinal inflammatory pathways.
Rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility loci at chromosomes 10p15, 12q13 and 22q13.
Regional variation in gene expression in the healthy colon is dysregulated in ulcerative colitis.
Re-evaluation of putative rheumatoid arthritis susceptibility genes in the post-genome wide association study era and hypothesis of a key pathway underlying susceptibility.
Resolution of non-small-cell lung cancer after withdrawal of anti-TNF therapy.
Early combined immunosuppression in Crohn's disease.
Common variants near MC4R are associated with fat mass, weight and risk of obesity.
Genetic determinants of ulcerative colitis include the ECM1 locus and five loci implicated in Crohn's disease.
Low body mass not vitamin D receptor polymorphisms predict osteoporosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
2007
The use of adalimumab in the management of refractory Crohn's disease.
Tolerability and safety of mercaptopurine in azathioprine-intolerant patients with inflammatory bowel disease.
Rheumatoid arthritis association at 6q23.
Association scan of 14,500 nonsynonymous SNPs in four diseases identifies autoimmunity variants.
A retrospective analysis of the efficacy and safety of infliximab as rescue therapy in acute severe ulcerative colitis.
Sequence variants in the autophagy gene IRGM and multiple other replicating loci contribute to Crohn's disease susceptibility.
Contribution of the NOD1/CARD4 insertion/deletion polymorphism +32656 to inflammatory bowel disease in Northern Europe.
Genome-wide association study of 14,000 cases of seven common diseases and 3,000 shared controls.
2006
Hedgehog, paneth cells, and colon cancer: a cautionary note for the use of systemic agonists/antagonists.
Role of infliximab in ulcerative colitis: further questions.
Bibliography updated 25 September 2026 from PubMed’s “Lees CW” search ↗. 5 historical namesake records are excluded. Years use first publication where available, otherwise the journal year; online and issue dates can differ.