Alex Ford is a Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Leeds, and the Chief Investigator of the MODULATE study.

“Many patients with ulcerative colitis still experience diarrhoea despite being told by their doctor that their disease is under control (in remission). MODULATE aims to discover what treatments we should be offering this group of people, in order to improve their symptoms and quality of life.”

Professor Matt Brookes is a Consultant Clinical Gastroenterologist at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. He is involved in research which has been funded by CORE, BACR, RfPB, Health foundation, HTA and Crohn’s and Colitis UK. He has published over 70 peer-reviewed papers.

“This is a novel study design being used to address an important area in the management of patients with Ulcerative Colitis. It is the first non-commercial MAMS study that has been undertaken on the Gastroenterology NiIHR CRN portfolio. The successful delivery of this study will be important and may inform how we may design future IBD studies in the UK.”

Lesley A Houghton is a Professor of Neurogastroenterology at the University of Leeds. She is an international expert on the pathophysiology of functional gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly those associated irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

“MODULATE is an exciting opportunity to compare the efficacy of a number of possible viable interventions in the treatment of the bothersome diarrhoea that many IBD patients experience even when in remission.”

Else Guthrie is Professor of Psychological Medicine at Leeds Institute of Health Sciences and a co-applicant on the project.

She is an Honorary Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist and has a special interest in psychological aspects of functional gut disorders.

She has been involved in the design of the project and provides advice about the use of amitriptyline.

Hi, my name is Emma Pryde. I’m a patient with Ulcerative Colitis under the Leeds Hospitals Trust, and I am a volunteer with Crohns & Colitis UK.

“I think the MODULATE study is very important as it brings hope of new, safe treatments that could help to manage debilitating symptoms in this particular group of UC patients that are currently suffering and have no other treatment options.”

Yvonne McKenzie is a specialist dietitian working at Nuffield Health The Manor Hospital, Oxford, with over 20 years’ experience in helping people with gut, food and nutritional problems. She is the lead author in the UK’s guidelines on the dietary management of IBS in adults.

“MODULATE is an important study because a low FODMAP diet is a nationally recommended intervention to treat IBS, in particular diarrhoeal symptoms, and evidence is needed to support its use for IBS-like diarrhoeal symptoms in ulcerative colitis.”

Chris Probert is a Professor of Gastroenterology at University of Liverpool. He has a major research interest in the study of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for disease diagnosis, funded by Wellcome Trust and Cancer Research UK. He was Vice Chair of the Clinical Advisor’s Committee of Crohn’s and Colitis UK (NACC) and recent past-chair of the IBD Committee of the BSG.

I am currently a Consultant Nurse in Gastroenterology Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, I have worked in gastroenterology and intestinal failure for the last twenty years, beginning on the wards as a staff nurse, progressing to ward manager. Within my current role, I see IBD patients; manage the all aspects of the IBD service at Salford, as well as seeing new gastroenterology patient referrals.

I currently hold the position of chair of the RCN IBD Nurses Network, involved with the national IBD standards, nurses audit and the national IBD registry.