IBD Symposium 2017 Recap

The first annual IBD symposium at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) was held Friday, June 2, 2017, at the Leonard and Madlyn Abramson Pediatric Research Center. The theme of the event was Personalized IBD and VEO-IBD: Genomics, Microbiome, Biologics and Beyond.

More than 140 people consisting of pediatric gastroenterologists, pediatric gastrointestinal surgeons, GI fellows and residents, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, radiologists, pathologists, nutritionists, and other healthcare professionals came from around the country to learn the latest developments in research and clinical care for very early-onset inflammatory bowel disease (VEO-IBD) and pediatric IBD. Presenters included nationally and internationally recognized experts, including members of CHOP's Center for Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Very Early Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease (VEO-IBD) Program.

Participants received a comprehensive overview of the genomic, immunologic and microbiome discoveries in VEO-IBD, and in pediatric IBD and of the advances in the diagnosis, management and therapy of the disease through lectures and interactive panel discussions. Topics included:

• The genetics of VEO-IBD, new candidate genes and the relevance of these discoveries to disease development
• The role of the dysregulated immune system in VEO-IBD and how this can impact therapeutic strategies
• The latest techniques to study IBD using animal models and enteroids
• Managing difficult cases in patients with VEO-IBD and pediatric IBD
• Appropriate therapies for patients with VEO-IBD and pediatric IBD, considering both the patient phenotype and the underlying genetics
• The role of the microbiome in IBD and the interaction of the microbes and intestinal immune system
• Counseling patients about the role of diet in disease development and as therapy for IBD