Charlie Lees' Research Group: Transformative IBD Medicine

Research in a Nutshell

We build data‑driven tools that predict disease course and personalise therapy in IBD. Our work integrates longitudinal biomarkers and EHR data with multi‑omics, digital telemonitoring, and machine learning to forecast flares, guide treatment choices, and reduce complications. The practical end‑point is a clinically embedded decision support tool for frontline care.

Edinburgh uniquely couples world‑class data science and statistical genomics at the Institute of Genetics and Cancer with one of the world’s most complete IBD real‑world cohorts in NHS Lothian, allowing rapid translation from discovery to clinical implementation. We build on two decades of IBD genetics and epidemiology leadership in Edinburgh and across international consortia, now extending that tradition into dynamic prediction and service redesign. Our clinical data is being integrated with DataLoch and TrakCare to surface real‑time risk and action prompts in routine care.

Prof Charlie W. Lees Professor of Gastroenterology (University of Edinburgh) and Consultant Gastroenterologist (Edinburgh IBD Unit). Trained in London (UCL MBBS, 2000), moved to Edinburgh in 2001 for medical and gastroenterology training, PhD in IBD genetics (2009), NHS Consultant since 2009, and UKRI Future Leaders Fellow since 2019. Charlie maintains a large, complex IBD clinic while leading a translational research team focused on prediction, prevention and practical care impact.

• UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship (2019–2027; renewal 2024–2027): Predicting outcomes in IBD.
• Open Targets: “Open IBD” (2025–2028).
• PREdiCCt funding: CSO (Scotland), Cure Crohn’s & Colitis, Crohn’s & Colitis in Childhood, Lothian Health Endowment Fund.
• Bengt Ihre Prize (Swedish Society of Gastroenterology, 2024)
• Co‑lead, Lancet Commission on Global IBD (2024–2026).

We prioritise improving clinical care translating models into embedded decision support with nurse‑led triage prompts, treat‑to‑target nudges, and population dashboards, monitored for calibration, drift and fairness. Our near‑term target is a pilot across high‑risk patients in Lothian, scaling to service‑wide adoption with measurable reductions in IBD bed‑days and improved flare‑free survival.

• Global evolution of IBD across epidemiologic stages. Nature (2025). Foundation framework for capacity‑building; Lothian data contributed.
• Twenty‑year trends in colectomy & advanced therapy (Lothian). Aliment Pharmacol Ther (2025). Real‑world evidence linking therapy uptake with surgery reduction—guides service planning.
• IBD and >1,500 comorbidities (pre‑ & post‑diagnosis). Am J Gastroenterol (2025). First disease‑wide phenome association in IBD (joint senior).
• Longitudinal FCP profiles stratify Crohn’s trajectories. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol (2023). Basis for dynamic risk models.
• Disease monitoring in IBD: state of the art. Gastroenterology (2022). Practice‑shaping review for real‑world monitoring.
• Comparative effectiveness (tofacitinib vs vedolizumab) in UC. J Crohn's Colitis (2024). First‑line positioning insights in bio‑naïve patients.

A full publications list is available via PubMed; Charlie has 160+ peer‑reviewed publications with H-index of 67

• AI‑powered clinical decision support (SENTINEL): live, explainable risk and action prompts in the EHR (clinician‑in‑the‑loop), expanding to SaMD as evidence matures.
• Next‑gen multimodal models: integrate wearables, home FCP, metabolomics (Nightingale), microbiome and polygenic scores for personalised trajectories.
• Global equity & implementation: adapt models to varied health‑system contexts via federated analytics and pragmatic datasets.

We have a rich tradition of collaborative research across the UK and internationally, recruiting large numbers of patients to commercial and non-commercial clinical and translational studies.

Highlights have included: UKIBD Bioresource, CLARITY and xxx during COVID; Profile; PANTS and PRED4

Currently recruiting studies include

• GONDOMAR - studying fistulising Crohn’s disease
• UKIBD Bioresource - targeting non-white patients in particular
• OPEN-IBD - state-of-the-art inception cohort for newly diagnosed IBD
• IBD-RESPONSE - large microbiome study of advanced therapy response / non-response

Commercial clinical trials recruiting/in setup include

• TARGET
• VICTRIVA
• VECTORS
• ICONIC

We welcome Data Science PhD/PDRAs, clinical research fellows, and visiting researchers. Projects span longitudinal modelling, comparative effectiveness, clinical trials methodology, and translational studies. Clinical fellow posts are opening soon; enquiries encouraged.

We share analysis pipelines under open source licenses ; collaboration proposals using the Lothian IBD Registry are reviewed via our data access process in partnership with NHS Lothian/DataLoch.

• Vallejos Group (MRC HGU)
• PREDICT Center (Aalborg University)