AGA announces new partnership with Target RWE to gather real world data on eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE)

Bethesda, MD (April 15, 2024) – The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) and Target RWE have partnered to significantly expand real-world data available for serious, and often chronic, gastroenterological diseases. This partnership will also allow Target RWE to incorporate AGA’s eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) severity index tool, I-SEE, into the TARGET-GASTRO registry.  

AGA led the international team of more than 30 multidisciplinary experts that developed the Index of Severity for EoE (I-SEE) in 2022. I-SEE is the first-ever severity index for eosinophilic esophagitis, which provides a simple system for physicians to assess and track EoE activity at the point-of-care using a mobile app. The I-SEE tool was initially validated in retrospective analyses in both adults and children.  

“As the number of children and adults with EoE increases worldwide, a simple system to assess and track disease activity in a meaningful way in a clinical setting is needed,” said Evan S. Dellon, MD, MPH, professor of medicine in the division of gastroenterology and hepatology and director of the center for esophageal diseases and swallowing at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill. “The I-SEE tool is an important part of evolving and improving EoE care for all.” 

TARGET-GASTRO is a longitudinal registry of patients with GI-related diseases, including EoE, inflammatory bowel disease, Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) infection (CDI) and celiac disease (CeD), with an average of 42 months of patient follow-up. The registry captures the natural history, management, and health outcomes of patients in the real world to allow AGA to compare treatment options and patient journeys to advance the research of gastroenterological diseases. 

“Gastroenterology diseases are at an inflection point where there is another wave of innovation on the horizon. There is a high unmet need for new therapies, but solutions are coming. We are thrilled to bring our advanced analytics and well-established TARGET-GASTRO community to AGA to help inform how those innovations can be optimally implemented in practice,” said Michael W. Fried, MD, FAASLD, co-founder and chief medical officer of Target RWE. 

As part of the new collaboration, AGA will have access to Target RWE’s robust data platform which abstracts and curates fit-for-purpose real-world evidence from electronic health records. The new partnership offers AGA researchers an environment in which research can be performed with minimal cost impact to their organizations, and have access to Target RWE’s clinical, statistical, and epidemiological personnel. 

TARGET-GASTRO is still recruiting sites, please contact [email protected] if you are interested in enrolling your practice.