Urine Metabolomics (NEAT Trial)

Accurate diagnosis of pediatric Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease is crucial towards determining the optimal method of treatment and prognosis of disease. However, the two conditions present with similar symptoms, which makes differentiating between them particularly challenging. Traditionally, this is done through an endoscopy, which is invasive, resource-intensive and can be inconclusive, especially in pediatric patients. Our group's focus has been on how this distinction can instead be made through a one-time, non-invasive urine sample subject to metabolomics analysis. In theory, the 2 conditions cause different changes to patients’ gut bacteria, which, in turn, impacts the metabolites in their urine, allowing for accurate differentiation. 

We recently published findings from our pilot study, showing how a one-time urine sample submitted for metabolomics profiling can accurately differentiate between Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis with a promising AUC score of 0.96. With this pilot data now established, the NEAT Trial looks to validate the results of this work through a larger sample size study and with the inclusion of a control group. We are also looking to identify other metabolomic patterns which would provide additional information about the patient's condition, including the time since disease inception and active vs. inactive disease.