International study sheds new light on severe forms of paediatric IBD
- Published: 27 August 2026
- Category: IBD
Young participants from the Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (PIBD) BioResource have contributed to new research uncovering insights into a rare immune mechanism that may help explain why some children develop particularly severe Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Published in Gut, the international study builds on a series of recent discoveries linking severe IBD to both a genetic marker known as HLA-DRB1*01:03 and neutralising autoantibodies against interleukin-10 (anti-IL-10).
The study - led by researchers at the University of Oxford in collaboration with teams at Boston Children's Hospital, SickKids Toronto, the University of Southampton, Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) BioResource - analysed samples from 1,045 children and young people with IBD from the UK, United States, Canada and Israel. 330 participants in the UK were enrolled through the PIBD BioResource.
The research was supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres in Oxford, Cambridge and Newcastle.
The findings build on earlier research that first identified anti-IL-10 autoantibodies in two children with IBD. A subsequent study involving more than 3,300 IBD BioResource participants found the antibodies in a small proportion of people with IBD and revealed a strong link with the genetic variant HLA-DRB1*01:03. Another large genetic study involving more than 43,000 people with IBD showed that HLA-DRB101:03 is associated with more severe forms of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a lifelong condition that causes inflammation in the digestive system. The two main forms of IBD, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, can cause symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhoea, fatigue and weight loss. While IBD can develop at any age, increasing numbers of children and young people are being diagnosed with the condition. Paediatric IBD is often more aggressive than adult-onset disease and can affect growth, development and quality of life.
PIBD BioResource
The Paediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease (PIBD) BioResource was launched in 2022 and is joint funded by the NIHR BioResource and children's IBD charity, CICRA. It provides the scientific research community with a resource data and samples to study mechanisms of paediatric onset IBD, facilitating the development of targeted diagnostics and therapies.
In this new study, researchers found anti-IL-10 autoantibodies in 26 children, representing around 2.5% of those tested. They showed that these autoantibodies block the activity of interleukin-10, a protein that normally helps control inflammation in the gut. When IL-10 was blocked, inflammatory immune responses increased, suggesting that the autoantibodies may exacerbate inflammation in this group of patients.
The researchers also confirmed the link between anti-IL-10 and HLA-DRB1*01:03. Among children with available genetic data, 80% of those who tested positive for anti-IL-10 carried the genetic variant.
Importantly, children with anti-IL-10 autoantibodies appeared to have a more severe disease course. They were more likely to have difficult-to-treat IBD, experience acute severe ulcerative colitis and require a colectomy - an operation to remove all or part of your colon (large intestine). Children with anti-IL-10 autoantibodies had an average age of 13 years when diagnosed with IBD.
While further research is needed, the findings suggest that testing for anti-IL-10 autoantibodies could one day help identify children at risk of severe disease and inform treatment decisions. The study also opens up new opportunities to investigate therapies that target the production of these autoantibodies. Together, the findings provide a clearer picture of a small but important subgroup of children living with IBD.
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