Inflammation research supported

A University of Manitoba-led research team was awarded $2.46-M in funding over five years to study the impact and management of psychiatric comorbidity in patients with multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, the Government of Canada announced today.

U of M is one of nine research teams from across the country that will be supported by $21.9M in funding over five years by the Government of Canada through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and its partners, the Arthritis Society of Canada and Crohn’s and Colitis Canada. The projects were funded under CIHR’s Roadmap Signature Initiative on Inflammation in Chronic Disease.

Ruth Ann Marrie, an Associate Professor  of Medicine & Community Health Sciences in the U of M’s College of Medicine,  is the Principal Investigator leading the multidisciplinary research team along with Co-PI Charles Bernstein, Distinguished Professor; Professor, Internal Medicine; and Head, Section of Gastroenterology, U of M.

The U of M-based research team’s goals for the research project, “Defining the burden and managing the effects of psychiatric comorbidity in chronic immunoinflammatory disease,” are to examine the frequency and impact of psychiatric comorbidities (particularly depression and anxiety) on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Specifically, they will look at the impacts on the ability to work, pain, fatigue and quality of life.

The study will also look at the impact on health services and patients’ use of hospital visits, doctor visits and preventive care and identify the best tools for primary care physicians and specialists to screen for and manage psychiatric comorbidities. The long-term goal is to improve the diagnosis and management of these conditions.

“Our hope is that through this substantial investment, we will greatly impact our understanding of the psychiatric comorbidities among IBD, MS and RA patients,” says Dr. Marrie, Director, Multiple Sclerosis Clinic, Health Sciences Centre. “And ultimately, take steps to mitigate those psychiatric comorbidities resulting in a better quality of life for those living with IBD, MS and RA.”

Government of Canada News Release

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada’s health research investment agency. CIHR’s mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened health care system for Canadians. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 13,700 health researchers and trainees across Canada. 

The CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) is the hub for strategic initiatives in musculoskeletal (MSK), skin and oral health research in Canada. IMHA’s mandate is to support ethical and impactful research to enhance active living, mobility and oral health, and to address the wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin and teeth. IMHA is hosted by the University of Manitoba where its Scientific Director, Hani El-Gabalawy, is an internationally recognized rheumatologist, a Professor of Medicine and Immunology at the University of Manitoba and a senior clinician scientist.

For more information contact Ilana Simon, Director of Communications & Marketing, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, 204-789-3427, (cell) 204-295-6777 or ilana.simon@umanitoba.ca