Threads of Discovery – Seeking lived experience of inflammatory bowel disease
Introduction
Research Area:
Inflammatory bowel disease
What is the research about?
We will be hosting an in-person introductory meeting on Wednesday 22nd April for lived experience partners and researchers. Find out more below.
We are interested in revealing the body’s natural way of repairing damage so we can develop new treatments for IBD.
The gut is protected by a jelly-like layer that sits on top of a thin layer of cells – it lets nutrients pass into the body while keeping harmful food particles and bacteria out. This protective layer can be damaged by things like diet, infections, or physical injury. In some people, the gut does not heal or repair properly after this damage, which can lead to IBD. At the moment, this kind of gut damage cannot be cured. As a result, people with IBD often experience lifelong symptoms such as nausea, pain, and diarrhoea.
In my lab, we grow this protective layer so we can study how it is put together and how it repairs following damage. Through this we hope to find new ways to repair the damaged lining of the gut that could be used as treatments for IBD.
This communication is part of a project funded by UCD STEM Challenge Fund called “Threads of Discovery: Weaving Patients into Biomedical Research” driven by the Patient Voice in Health Research network in UCD Conway Institute. As part of this initiative, we are recruiting partners with a lived experience of different disease areas to collaborate with researchers within UCD Conway Institute.
We will be hosting an introductory meeting on Wednesday 22nd April for lived experience partners and researchers. This will be in person, and will be a day to get to know each other, to learn a bit about public and patient involvement (PPI), to set expectations, and to have a chat.
We hope through this initiative that long-term partnerships will be established. However, if at the end of the day you think this isn’t for you, that is absolutely fine. You won’t be locked into something you don’t want to be involved in! This is all exploratory.
Opportunity for:
Involvement Opportunity Details
Time
Time commitment:
1-2 hour meeting every 6 months
Contact between meetings:
Occasional emails.
Length of involvement:
for up to 2 years
Start date for involvement:
22/04/2026
Logistics
Where?
If online, explain how:
Flexible to suit the needs of the PPI partner
If in person, explain where:
Flexible to suit the needs of the PPI partner
Other ways of communicating:
N/A
Funding available for:
If no funding available, explain why:
Travel expenses and time for the event on 22nd April will be reimbursed.
No funding is available for follow-on meetings but we will ensure to incorporate funding into future projects.
Other Information
Stage of the research study/ programme:
Early planning
Is this opportunity for PPI in a PhD:
No
Closing date to contact researchers:
22/04/2026
Research Team
Contact person:
Carol Aherne
University/organisation:
UCD Conway Institute
Contact email:
patientvoice@ucd.ie
Researcher background:
IBD Researcher
Research funder:
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation/ Research Ireland/ UCD School of Medicine
Photo:
Interested in this PPI Opportunity?
Please complete this form and click SUBMIT