May 19th is #worldibdday2021. The good news is that new non-invasive inflammatory bowel imaging technologies are trialling through the Horizon2020-funded ‘EUPHORIA’ project led by iThera Medical GmbH.
IBD, inflammatory bowel disease, is a chronic condition, where people with it suffer from recurring episodes of intestinal inflammation. Currently, it is diagnosed and monitored using endoscopy which causes discomfort and potentially severe complications such as colon perforation.
Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography, #MSOT has the potential for rapid, non-invasive detection and monitoring of IBD, by pulsing laser light through the skin, and then interpreting the acoustic signals generated by light absorption in the colon wall. EUPHORIA improved the sensitivity and effectiveness of MSOT in detecting and managing inflammatory bowel diseases. Beyond technical improvements, EUPHORIA supports the transition of MSOT from clinical research use to routine diagnosis.
EUPHORIA’s MSOT clinical study is ongoing in Germany. Regulatory approval in Italy has been received. The team is preparing the sites’ initiation in Milan and Rome. We expect the first Italian patient to be recruited in June. See https://euphoria2020.eu/the-euphoria-clinical-study/.
The EUPHORIA Project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 830965. The material presented and views expressed here are the responsibility of the author(s) only. The EU Commission takes no responsibility for any use made of the information set out.