Personalised blueprint intestinal health

Informazioni relative al progetto

miGut-Health

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101095470

DOI

10.3030/101095470

Data della firma CE 11 Novembre 2022

Data di avvio 1 Gennaio 2023

Data di completamento 31 Dicembre 2026

Finanziato da

• Health

Costo totale

€ 7 131 243,75

Contributo UE

€ 7 126 243,75

Coordinato da

UNIVERSITATSKLINIKUM SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - miGut-Health (Personalised blueprint intestinal health)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2024-07-01 al 2025-12-31

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) remain a major public health challenge, with projections exceeding 10 million affected individuals by 2030. The increasing incidence, particularly among young individuals, places a growing burden on patients, families, healthcare systems, and national economies. IBD is often diagnosed only after significant intestinal damage has occurred, limiting opportunities for prevention and early intervention. At the same time, growing evidence shows that patient engagement, lifestyle factors, and psychosocial determinants play a critical role in disease trajectories but remain insufficiently integrated into routine care. In response to these challenges, miGut-Health aims to better understand the transition from gut health to inflammatory disease by identifying early biological signatures together with lifestyle and social factors that contribute to inflammatory progression. The project integrates biological research (microbiome, immune profiling, proteomics, and metabolomics), clinical studies, digital health technologies, and behavioural sciences to develop a systems-level prevention framework. Building on the foundations established in the previous reporting period, miGut-Health has progressed from conceptual framework development to large-scale data harmonisation, validation of predictive biomarkers (Obj.1) mechanistic experimental studies (Obj.2) and implementation of digital health tools (Obj.3). The project pathway to impact combines early biological risk identification (Obj.1) personalised lifestyle interventions (Obj.2) and citizen-centred monitoring technologies (Obj.3) to enable proactive health management. Through this integrated cross-sectoral approach spanning molecular research, nutrition, digital health technologies, and patient engagement, miGut-Health contributes to the European transition toward prevention oriented, personalised, and sustainable healthcare systems. By strengthening early risk stratification and empowering citizens in self-care management, the project supports long-term reduction of disease burden and improvement of quality of life.

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

During the reporting period, miGut-Health significantly advanced scientific and technical activities across molecular research, clinical studies, and digital innovation. The consortium established one of the largest harmonised microbiome datasets in IBD, enabling largescale analysis of microbial changes associated with disease (WP1). Novel predictive immune and protein signatures were identified, some of which appear years before clinical diagnosis, strengthening the potential for early risk detection (WP1). Clinical research progressed through a long-term dietary intervention study assessing the impact of a gluten-free diet in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Follow-up analyses showed changes in immune cell activity and intestinal inflammation markers (WP2). In parallel, integrative computational pipelines and machine learning models were developed to identify and characterise associations between microbiome features and clinical and inflammation parameters (WP4). Mechanistic experiments using patient-derived intestinal organoid models demonstrated how microbiome-derived metabolites and dietary compounds influence intestinal barrier integrity and inflammatory pathways (WP3).
The project also generated strong evidence linking stress, dietary behaviour, and patient engagement to disease activity, based on analysis of large European patient cohorts (WP5). These findings highlight the importance of behavioural and psychosocial factors in chronic disease management. Digital health tools reached operational implementation during this reporting period. The project further advanced MyIBDCoach (monitoring disease activity, patient-reported outcomes, and lifestyle habits), MyFoodRepo (AI-supported dietary tracking), and wearable-based fatigue monitoring systems (WP6). These tools enable longitudinal tracking of lifestyle factors and symptoms, while automated, multilingual dietary data collection increases scalability across European healthcare contexts. Together, these digital infrastructures support personalised care, proactive disease management, and integration of lifestyle data into clinical decision-making.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

miGut-Health advances beyond the current state of the art by shifting the focus from reactive disease management to early risk stratification and integrated prevention. While conventional IBD care primarily addresses established disease, the project develops a systems-level framework that combines biological, behavioural, and digital dimensions to detect and mitigate risk before clinical onset.
Key advances include:
- Identification of immune and molecular markers detectable years before disease onset, strengthening the basis for preclinical risk assessment (WP1).
- Large-scale harmonisation of microbiome and multi-omics datasets, enabling cross-cohort validation and more robust predictive modelling than previously possible (WP1, WP4)
- Experimental validation of how dietary metabolites influence intestinal barrier integrity and inflammatory pathways, moving beyond associative findings toward mechanistic understanding (WP2, WP3).
- Integration of psychosocial determinants into predictive disease modelling, expanding the scientific paradigm beyond purely biological risk factors (WP5).
- Development and operational testing of scalable digital health tools supporting real-world lifestyle monitoring and patient self-management (WP6).
By integrating these dimensions into a unified prevention framework, miGut-Health establishes a transferable model for personalised prevention in chronic inflammatory diseases.
To ensure further uptake and long-term success, continued validation in broader populations, integration into clinical guidelines, and alignment with regulatory and healthcare infrastructures will be essential. The digital and analytical tools developed provide a strong foundation for future clinical deployment, policy integration, and potential commercial or public health implementation.