Carlo Agostoni, Daniele Alberti, Renata Auricchio, Maria Elisabetta Baldassarre, Osvaldo Borrelli, Matteo Bramuzzo, Teresa Capriati, Carlo Catassi, Sabrina Cenni, Marco Crocco, Salvatore Cucchiara, Luigi Dall'Oglio, Paola De Angelis, Marco Deganello Saccomani, Fabiola Di Dato, Angelo Di Giorgio, Antonella Diamanti, Valeria Dipasquale, Enrico Felici, Ruggiero Francavilla, Valentina Giorgio, Luigi Greco, Raffaele Lorio, Flavio Labriola, Paolo Lionetti, Elena Lionetti, Giuseppe Maggiore, Monica Malamisura, Claudia Mandato, Antonio Marseglia, Emanuele Nicastro, Lorenzo Norsa, Salvatore Oliva, Licia Pensabene, Elena Sofia Pieri, Paolo Quitadamo, Giusy Ranucci, Sara Renzo, Claudio Romano, Silvia Salvatore, Luca Scarallo, Maria Immacolata Spagnuolo, Annamaria Staiano, Caterina Strisciuglio, Renato Tambucci, Riccardo Troncone, Pietro Vajro
The Italian Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (SIGENP) recognized the need to define research priorities and identify knowledge gaps to guide future investigations in pediatric digestive health. Following international examples, SIGENP aimed to provide a structured framework that aligns scientific innovation with clinical relevance and patient-centered outcomes. This narrative review represents the consensus output of SIGENP's thematic working groups (WGs) in key fields-inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Hepatology, Nutrition and Intestinal Failure, Functional and Motility Disorders, and Allergy and Immunity. Each WG conducted a focused review of recent literature, national activities, and registry data, identifying unmet needs and defining strategic objectives. Draft reports were refined through plenary discussions and finalized by consensus during dedicated SIGENP meetings. Across all areas, shared priorities emerged: advancing precision and personalized medicine, integrating multi-omics and digital tools, and promoting pediatric-specific evidence through multicenter collaboration and harmonized registries. Disease-specific gaps include early diagnosis and biomarker discovery in IBD and liver disease, standardization of pediatric endoscopy and motility diagnostics, optimization of nutritional interventions and intestinal failure management, and the exploration of organoid and immune models in celiac disease and food allergy. This review outlines a comprehensive research agenda in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition developed through a structured SIGENP expert process. It provides a strategic framework to guide future research initiatives, foster collaboration, and ultimately improve outcomes for children with gastrointestinal and nutritional disorders.