GlycanTrigger
The GlycanTrigger project proposes a thorough and innovative approach to understand better the health-to-chronic inflammation transition occurring in patients with CD that will be translated into improved disease prediction and prevention.
The project aims to do so by addressing how changes in glycosylation of the gut mucosa act as a primary event that dysregulates not only local mechanisms (imposing maladapted host-microbiome interactions) but also systemic mechanisms (promoting antimicrobial antibodies production), involving the novel concept of glycan mimicry as an early trigger of the health to inflammation transition – GlycanTrigger.
Moreover, following the recent discovery that changes in glycosylation can be detected in serum years before CD diagnosis and are correlated with increased levels of pathogenic antimicrobial antibodies (ASCA), the project will pursue the hypothesis that changes in mucosa glycans constitute a major source for the development of anti-glycan antibodies (ASCA), associated with the health-to-inflammation transition.
The long-term goal of this project is to unlock, through an integrative approach, a new checkpoint that regulates the transition to chronic inflammation. The project will lead to breakthrough concepts in the health-to-chronic inflammation transition and novel predictive tools translated into novel glyco-intervention strategies for disease prevention. The consortium comprises nine organisation participants with Instituto de Investigacao e Inovacao em Saude da Universidade do Porto (i3S) as the lead partner to ensure efficient dialogue and a continuous focus on the actual needs of patients living with Crohn's disease.
EFCCA will involve relevant sister organisations from the USA, Canada and Australia, patient/medical European (and non-European) associations and networks to implement a strategy to maximise their involvement in the project and to promote the project's findings. The project will run for six years, and the kick-off meeting will commence in Porto (Portugal) from 13 to 14 March 2023.
Follow the progress of GlycanTrigger on Glycan Trigger's website: glycantrigger.eu and on the project's Twitter and LinkedIn profile to learn about its steps towards predicting and prevention for inflammatory bowel diseases.
Patients Symposia
GlycanTrigger Patients Symposia bring research closer to the IBD community
The GlycanTrigger Patients Symposia are designed to make the project's research accessible to people living with IBD, creating opportunities for dialogue between patients, researchers and healthcare professionals.
The 1st GlycanTrigger Patients Symposium, held online in November 2024, explored IBD risk factors, prevention strategies, patient empowerment and health literacy through expert presentations and interactive discussions.
The 2nd GlycanTrigger Patients Symposium, held in Brussels in June 2026, focused on the latest advances in IBD prediction and prevention. Researchers presented how changes in gut glycans may help identify people at risk of developing IBD and highlighted the project's contribution to advancing earlier prediction, prevention and more personalised approaches to care. The symposium also showcased IFCCA's role in Horizon Europe research, emphasising the importance of patient involvement throughout the research process. An open Q&A session gave participants the opportunity to exchange ideas directly with researchers and clinicians, reinforcing the value of collaboration in shaping the future of IBD research.
Together, these symposia reflect GlycanTrigger's commitment to making research understandable, relevant and patient-centred, while ensuring that people living with IBD remain active partners in driving innovation.
GlycanTrigger Podcast Series
The GlycanTrigger Podcast Series is a 12-episode initiative bringing together researchers, clinicians and patient representatives to explore the future of IBD prediction, prevention and patient care.
The series covers topics including disease prediction, prevention, lifestyle management, patient empowerment and the latest advances in IBD research, while highlighting the importance of involving people living with IBD throughout the research process.
Among the featured conversations is a discussion on the prediction and prevention of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), hosted by Salomé Pinho, GlycanTrigger Project Coordinator, with Dr Joana Torres, gastroenterologist and IBD specialist, and Luisa Avedano, IFCCA CEO. Together, they explore the current landscape of IBD prediction and prevention, the challenges facing the field and the opportunities presented by emerging research.
The series also explores the growing burden of IBD and the importance of advancing research to improve disease prediction, prevention and patient care. In this discussion, Filipa Cunha, representative of the Portuguese patient association APDI and member of the IFCCA Youth Group, shares the patient perspective through her lived experience with IBD, highlighting the importance of ensuring that people living with the condition remain active partners in research.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.