The INTERCEPT project, one of the largest and best-funded research initiatives worldwide, has officially began recruiting volunteers , marking the first step toward predicting and preventing Crohn’s disease before symptoms develop . The first participant has been successfully recruited in Hospital da Luz Lisboa, Portugal. Funded by the Innovative Health Initiative (IHI) with approximately €40 million, the project will involve 10,000 healthy first-degree relatives of individuals with Crohn’s disease from Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Sweden. By analyzing blood serum samples, researchers aim to validate a set of biomarkers and a risk index designed to identify individuals at high risk of developing Crohn’s disease during the preclinical stage. Crohn’s disease is a chronic, incurable inflammatory bowel disease that often affects young people and can significantly impact quality of life. First-degree relatives of people with Crohn’s disease have an approximately eightfold increased risk of developing the condition, making early identification and prevention strategies particularly important. “This project represents a crucial milestone in our ambition to advance research in Crohn’s disease — shifting from treating established disease to identifying and intervening before symptoms appear, in the preclinical phase,” said Geert D’Haens, INTERCEPT Project Coordinator at Amsterdam UMC. Highlighting the project’s innovative nature, Jean-Frédéric Colombel, Co-Principal Investigator of INTERCEPT at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, added: “By validating biomarkers across large and diverse European populations, we are laying the groundwork for a future in which Crohn’s disease can be predicted and potentially prevented, enabling earlier intervention.” INTERCEPT participants will provide blood serum samples and complete health and lifestyle questionnaires via a dedicated app at regular intervals. Based on this data, researchers will develop a risk index to identify individuals most likely to develop Crohn’s disease in the coming years. From the overall study population, individuals identified as being at higher risk will be invited to participate in an innovative prevention study, also part of INTERCEPT. In this next phase, researchers will assess whether an already established and highly effective medical treatment can prevent the onset of clinically manifest Crohn’s disease , with implementation expected in 2027. “The recruitment of the first participant is an exciting and significant milestone for our study,” said Dr Joana Torres, Project Coordinator at Hospital da Luz, Lisbon. “This study offers first-degree relatives the opportunity to contribute to research that may fundamentally transform how Crohn’s disease is understood, detected, and ultimately prevented — not only for their own benefit, but also for future generations.” Participation in the study is entirely voluntary and involves no costs. Strict data protection and confidentiality measures are in place to safeguard participants’ personal information. It is important to note that the risk estimate generated by the study does not constitute a diagnosis; it is a research-based assessment intended to support scientific knowledge and future prevention strategies. INTERCEPT is a five-year research initiative with a €38 million budget, supported by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking (IHI JU). It brings together clinicians, researchers, patient organizations, and industry partners from Europe, North America, and South Korea, with the shared goal of intervening in Crohn’s disease before it becomes clinically manifest. For more information about INTERCEPT, visit www.intercept-ihi.eu In the photo: Joana Torres, gastroenterologist at Hospital da Luz.
