GOALS
Helmsley’s Crohn’s Disease Program aims to find a cure for Crohn’s disease. This is a long-term pursuit, so in parallel we are dedicated to improving patients’ lives today.
STRATEGIES
More than two million people worldwide are living with the challenges posed by Crohn’s disease – a number that is rising every day – and could benefit from better treatments and options for managing the condition. Addressing the unmet needs of patients with Crohn’s disease is at the center of our strategy. To this end, we support impactful ideas and mobilize a global community committed to improving the lives of Crohn’s disease patients and advancing precision medicine. Our focus includes:
Prevention
Crohn’s disease is vexing: while its causes are poorly understood, one certainty is that incidence is increasing globally, particularly in newly industrialized countries across Africa, Asia, and South America where previously there were no known cases. We support research to uncover the root triggers of Crohn’s disease, and better understand the course of disease development. This will enable further efforts to prevent onset, recurrence, or progression, as well as development of complications from the disease. Our funding encompasses studies that examine the role of environmental factors, particularly diet and the microbiome, as well as non-invasive and safe intervention trials.
Diagnostics
Currently, physicians lack the diagnostic tools needed to create individualized treatment plans. Diagnostics help determine disease progression. Timely, accurate understanding of the state of the disease enables more targeted treatments and therapeutic regimens, which support an improved quality of life for Crohn’s disease patients. We fund the development of convenient, cost-effective tools needed to advance precision medicine, allow for early diagnosis of Crohn’s disease and its complications, and speed the development and regulatory approval of new treatments.
Therapeutics
There is a pressing need to identify and develop more effective treatments for Crohn’s disease. Current medications target the immune system and focus on inducing remission with the hope of preventing disease progression and complications. Approximately half of Crohn’s disease patients do not respond to available therapies. Of those who do, many do not attain full remission, or lose responsiveness over time. We seek novel and improved therapies and to accelerate drug development, with a focus on moving new treatments quickly to patients. Learning what works, for whom, how, and why will lead to increased personalization so that individuals can achieve their best outcomes.
Crohn's Disease Management
Living with Crohn’s disease is a daily, lifelong challenge, and patients experience flares and remissions throughout their lives. We seek to ensure that all patients have access to care across the world and are armed with the tools needed to improve their health outcomes and overall quality of life. We invest in efforts to standardize Crohn’s disease management, always striving for high-quality care built on informed decision-making between patients and their providers. Leveraging technology, open data sharing and standardizations in care delivery are central to achieving these goals.
