PhD defence J. (Janine) van der Giessen

The aim of this thesis is to extend knowledge on IBD and pregnancy and approach the topic from both bench and bedside. We discuss the modulatory effect of changes during pregnancy on the course of IBD and address the pregnancy-induced physiological changes and their potential effect on the disease course of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, with emphasis on the modulation of epithelial barrier function and immune profiles by pregnancy hormones, microbial changes, and microchimerism. We studied modulation of the epithelial barrier function, production of cytokines, and endoplasmatic reticulum (ER) stress, a hallmark of IBD, in response to sexhormones in organoids and colonic adenocarcinoma cell lines. In this thesis we showed that pro-inflammatory cytokines decrease upon conception in IBD patients and that IBD-associated dysbiosis in the microbiome seems to normalize to diversity levels seen in healthy pregnancy at trimester 2 and 3. With regard to the clinical course, we describe the effect of pregnancy on the disease course before and after a first pregnancy in patients with IBD. And we found, reassuringly, that having IBD during pregnancy has no effect on the health-related quality of life of offspring in the first 5 years of life.

The public defence will take place at the Prof. Andries Queridoroom, 3rd floor Education Center, Erasmus MC. The ceremony will begin exactly at 10.30 AM. In light of the solemn nature of the ceremony, we recommend that you do not take children under the age of 6 to the first part of the ceremony.