Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Clinical Trials and Research

Clinical research is critical to increasing our understanding of the causes of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease and for developing new treatments. Children are not small adults—they are a unique population with distinct developmental and physiological differences from adults. Pediatric clinical research is needed to (1) understand the root causes of pediatric IBD and celiac disease, (2) develop treatment strategies specifically for children and adolescents, and (3) make medical treatments safer for children. Successful pediatric clinical research studies have the potential to create new standards of care, develop new therapeutic and treatment options, and meaningfully improve the lives of children with IBD and celiac disease.

The Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Celiac Disease at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health is advancing the care of children with IBD and celiac disease everywhere through research. Composed of leading gastroenterologists and health care specialists, our center integrates state-of-the-art interdisciplinary clinical care with cross-cutting innovative research to meaningfully improve the lives of children and adolescents affected by IBD and celiac disease. Our research is designed to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of IBD and celiac disease in children, as well as advance the current knowledge of these diseases.

Our investigative efforts focus on the following areas of interest:

• Developing noninvasive techniques to monitor disease.
• Investigating environmental factors in the development and course of IBD and celiac disease.
• Evaluating how psychosocial support for children and families affects symptom management and emotional well-being.
• Studying the impact of integrative GI therapies on disease management and quality of life.
• Learning how to create the most effective personalized pharmacotherapy (medication) plans by studying how drugs and the body affect each other.
• Exploring how we can change the health care system to improve care for children with IBD and celiac disease.
• Discovering ways to use nutritional therapies to manage Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Current studies

Your child has the opportunity to participate in and to benefit from research advances. Many of our studies bring children, families, clinicians, and researchers together to collaborate as equal and reciprocal contributors to produce information (outcomes), knowledge (insights and/or formal research), and expertise to improve health care and health outcomes. Talk with your provider about joining the most suitable active study that excites you. Email us your questions at: IBDCeliac@stanfordchildrens.org.