IBD: Etiology, Pathogenesis, and Impact on Clinical Practice

Call for Papers

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) comprising of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic diseases of the gastro-intestinal tract that are associated with high morbidity. Its burden appears to be increasing in both western and non-western populations. In spite of the measurable advances in our understanding of the multi-factorial nature of the disease, numerous gaps remain. In particular although environmental factors are known to contribute no single risk factor except smoking has been consistently linked to disease. Approximately 100 genes/loci have been identified however they explain <20% of the inherited variability in disease. Various challenges exist in the accurate diagnosis and management of disease and thus accurate bio-markers are urgently required. The gut microflora is known to be crucial but it links with the environment and inherited host susceptibility remains unclear. IBD shares many features with related autoimmune diseases, however understanding these commonalities have not as yet led to novel insights on disease pathogenesis.

For this special issue we are interested in manuscripts that provide information on the current challenges in our understanding of IBD with a view towards planning future research needs. Original studies that report on findings that add to or challenge our current view of IBD will be welcome. Reviews that summarize current knowledge and promulgate novel strategies to decipher the complexity of IBD will be encouraged. A major emphasis will be on manuscripts that outline how the current explosion in the fields of genetics, proteonomics, metabolomics, bio-informatics, epigenetics etc. could bridge the gap and enhance translation between fundamental science and clinical practice. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• GWAS and post-GWAS in IBD
• Epigenetics in IBD: current progress and future challenges
• Gut microbial flora, prebiotics, and probiotics in IBD: their current usage and utility
• Dissecting differences in the pathogenesis of CD and UC: current evidence and future needs
• Diagnostic and prognostic markers for IBD: current evidence and future prospects
• Pharmacogenetics of IBD: potential targets for therapy
• Environmental risk factors for IBD: should they be pursued?
• Commonalities in pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and how it could enhance understanding of IBD pathogenesis
• Immunobiology of IBD: novel mechanisms and pathways
• Bioinformatics tools for understanding IBD pathogenesis
• Metabolomics in IBD
• Biologic therapy in IBD: pros and cons
• Humanized animal models for IBD
• Long-term utility of biologic therapy for IBD
• Health economics in IBD

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/grp/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/ according to the following timetable:

Lead Guest Editor

• Devendra Amre, University of Montreal, Canada

Guest Editors

• Ali Ahmad, University of Montreal, Canada
• David Mack, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Canada
• Ajit Sood, Dayanand Medical College & Hospital, India