University of Edinburgh · NHS Lothian

Writing the
next decade
of IBD care.

Long-term patient data, clinical expertise and lived experience. Together, improving life with IBD.

New on Atomic IBD · 11 OctoberWhat I'll be watching at UEG Week 2026
Understanding IBD
across a lifetime.
Inflammation
Four courses of IBD over time (illustrative)Illustrative, not patient data. Four curves share a timeline from diagnosis. Rapid remission falls quickly and stays low. Delayed remission falls gradually. Relapse and remission falls, rises again and then falls. Persistent inflammation stays higher, rising and falling. Solid, dashed, dotted and dash-dot lines distinguish the four courses.RapidremissionDelayedremissionRelapse andremissionPersistentinflammationFour courses of IBD over time (illustrative)Illustrative, not patient data. Four curves share a timeline from diagnosis. Rapid remission falls quickly and stays low. Delayed remission falls gradually. Relapse and remission falls, rises again and then falls. Persistent inflammation stays higher, rising and falling. Solid, dashed, dotted and dash-dot lines distinguish the four courses.
DiagnosisYears of follow-up →
  • Rapid remission
  • Delayed remission
  • Relapse and remission
  • Persistent inflammation

Illustrative, not patient data. Course types from our trajectory research.

2,629

PREdiCCt participantsAcross 47 UK sites

~10,000

Lothian IBD RegistryRecords spanning over 20 years

10

Clinical trials and studies actively recruiting Last updated: August 2026

Explore the work

From understanding to action

Our flagship platform

SENTINEL

Developing clinician-supervised decision support to help teams recognise changing risk and make better decisions with patients.

Discover SENTINEL

01 Longitude

Modelling disease in motion

Longitudinal modelling and disease trajectory — inflammation, exposure and risk over time.

Longitude follows inflammation across time. Repeated stool and blood measurements reveal patterns that a single result cannot show. Our published work describes these patterns and their relationship with later outcomes. Current research asks how disease history, cumulative inflammatory burden and dynamic risk models could support earlier recognition of change and more personalised care.

Read more about Longitude

02 Vantage

Seeing risk earlier

Proactive intelligence and observability — the algorithmic layer behind SENTINEL.

Vantage asks how well an IBD service can understand the changing needs of its whole population. It studies which signals are available, where information is missing and how teams could prioritise follow-up. The aim is to identify needs earlier, respect patients’ preferences and make better use of clinical attention through the developing SENTINEL platform.

Read more about Vantage

03 Continuum

Whole-person, whole-course care

Diet, microbiome, ageing, comorbidity, women's health and quality of life across the disease.

Continuum studies the whole person across the course of IBD: diet, the microbiome, other health conditions, ageing and quality of life. Published cohort research provides evidence about flares and health beyond the bowel. Current work asks how these factors interact, which burdens may be modifiable and how care can better reflect what matters to patients.

Read more about Continuum

04 Cairn

Built with patients

Patient partnership, navigation, education and community — the public voice of Edinburgh IBD.

Cairn connects research with the people it is intended to help. Patient events, accessible explanations and opportunities for involvement create space for questions and lived experience. As we develop proactive monitoring and SENTINEL, the programme asks what patients find useful, acceptable and trustworthy, and how their priorities should shape research and future care.

Read more about Cairn

Take part in research

Explore our clinical trials

Help shape better IBD care. Discover opportunities to take part in studies with our Edinburgh team.

10 studies recruiting now · Local guide, August 2026

View our clinical trials

People behind the progress

One integrated
research team.

Connecting long-term patient data, laboratory discovery and clinical studies around what matters to people living with IBD.

University of Edinburgh · NHS Lothian

Meet the team
The Edinburgh IBD research team

Latest news and publications

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Fund our research

Help give people with IBD
more time well.

Your support helps our Edinburgh team turn long-term patient data and clinical expertise into better care, shaped with the people who live with IBD.

Fund our research

Donate or explore ways to give through the University of Edinburgh.

Your support could help fund

  • Research nursesHelping local patients access studies and follow-up.
  • Data scienceBuilding and testing ways to recognise changing disease earlier.
  • Patient partnershipGiving patients a direct role in shaping our research.

Contact us

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For questions about your care, please use the NHS Lothian IBD service.