The test measures a person’s immune response to flagellin, a protein found on gut bacteria. This response is elevated in individuals long before they develop Crohn’s disease, a team led by Dr. Ken Croitoru, a clinician scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, part of Sinai Health, has found. The team also included gastrointestinal medical resident, Dr. Richard Wu, and clinician scientist, and staff gastroenterologist Dr. Sun-Ho Lee.

Drs. Croitoru and Lee are also a part of Mount Sinai Hospital’s Center for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), a globally recognized center focused on inflammatory bowel disease research.

Their findings, published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, highlight the interplay between the gut’s bacteria and immune system responses as a critical step in developing Crohn’s disease.