With the Todd Foundation’s help, researchers may be on the path to finding the cause of a debilitating, chronic disease that affects thousands of people in New Zealand.

Crohn’s disease (CD) is one of two types of inflammatory bowel disease that require lifelong medication and often major surgery. Yet despite blighting the lives of millions around the world, little has yet been learned about its origins.

That’s about to change, because medical researchers at the Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, and Southern Community Laboratories have made significant progress in understanding CD. And now, with a Centenary Grant from the Todd Foundation, they’ll be able to conduct further research into its causes.

Past research has already revealed that people suffering from CD often have a faulty ‘CARD15’ gene, which reduces their immunity to bacterium – and researchers believe the bacterium causing the disease could be Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (or MAP).

“We’ve already shown that CD patients with faulty CARD15 are more likely to have MAP in their blood,” explains researcher Dr Rebecca Roberts. “Now we want to carry out a conclusive study to prove the link between MAP and CARD15.”

“If we can do this, we may pave the way for the development of novel medications to manage CD,” says researcher Dr Richard Gearry. “It could also lead to health initiatives designed to reduce MAP in the environment.”

For CD sufferers, research like this could bring much-needed answers and relief – helping them to lead more enjoyable and productive lives.