A head and shoulders portrait shot of professor gwo-tzer ho outdoors

The School of Infection & Immunity's Professor Gwo-tzer Ho has received £310,000 from the Jon Moulton Charity Trust to support his UK investigator-led Phase 2 clinical trial investigating the use of oral mitochondrial antioxidants in the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC).

The MARVEL Study, which involves 10 hospitals across the UK, builds on Professor Ho’s laboratory research showing that damaged mitochondria in the gut can drive inflammation - a key factor in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Mitochondria, often described as the ‘batteries’ of cells, power normal cell function. In UC, these ‘cellular batteries’ in the gut lining are more vulnerable to damage, leaking ‘danger alarm’ signals that worsen inflammation. 

The MARVEL (Mitochondrial Anti-oxidant therapy to Resolve Inflammation in Ulcerative Colitis) study is testing a targeted anti-oxidant drug that enters mitochondria to protect them from damage, offering a novel and potentially complementary approach to existing immunosuppressant treatments.

Ulcerative Colitis: A figure showing how protecting mitochondria from oxidative damage might change the pathways that can trigger inflammation in cells

Professor Ho said: “Many current advanced therapies in IBD block or inhibit the immune response.

"The MARVEL study investigates a wholly novel approach and will be complementary to the present anti-inflammatory approaches, aiding gut repair and complete healing of the IBD gut. 

"I am very grateful to the Jon Moulton Foundation for its continual support of our work.”

If successful, this approach could offer a treatment that does not suppress the immune system, may be more affordable, and targets the underlying causes of inflammation in UC.

The Jon Moulton Foundation has supported the MARVEL study since 2020, funding innovative investigator-led trials that stem from novel science rather than pharmaceutical company programmes.

The trial is active in Glasgow, where consultant gastroenterologists Dr John Paul Seenan and Dr Jonathan MacDonald are leading the clinical work as key partners, and you can keep up to date with its progress on X at @Marveltrial or contact them via email: marvel.trial@ed.ac.uk.

MARVEL Participating Centres

  • Edinburgh – Western General Hospital and Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh (WGH/RIE)
  • Glasgow – Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and Glasgow Royal Infirmary (QUEH/GRI)
  • Dundee – Ninewells Hospital
  • London – Chelsea and Westminster Hospital
  • Pinderfields Hospital (Wakefield)
  • Darlington Memorial Hospital
  • St George’s Hospital (London)
  • North Durham University Hospital (Chester-le-Street /Durham area)
  • Cambridge

First published: 14 August 2025

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