Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Dr Bram Verstockt, a clinician-scientist at KU Leuven and University Hospitals Leuven, shares insights into his journey into gastroenterology and his pioneering research in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In this interview, he explores the promise of precision medicine, noninvasive monitoring tools like intestinal ultrasound, and the need to better understand IBD heterogeneity to drive more personalized and effective patient care.
July delivered a broad range of important updates in immunology, spanning regulatory approvals, new therapeutic formulations, and key clinical trial results across autoimmune, inflammatory, and rare diseases. This monthly roundup highlights the most significant developments, including first-in-class oral therapies, expanded paediatric indications, and both positive and negative late-phase trial outcomes.
Dr Andreas Hadjinicolaou, Future Leader in gastroenterology, shares his journey at the intersection of clinical care and cutting-edge research in early cancer detection. In this Q&A, he reflects on balancing patient care with innovation, the technologies transforming the field, and his vision for more equitable, accurate, and proactive approaches to diagnosing gastrointestinal cancers.
The American College of Gastroenterology’s 2025 Crohn’s disease guidelines introduce key advancements in personalized care, diagnostics, and treatment. Highlights include genetic testing to guide therapy, adoption of intestinal ultrasound for non-invasive monitoring, and the inclusion of new biologics. Emphasizing shared decision-making and holistic care, the guidelines aim to improve outcomes by tailoring strategies to each patient’s unique profile and preferences.
As touchIMMUNOLOGY approaches 20 years of providing education for busy immunologists, we are looking to the future—and it certainly looks bright!
Physician burnout is at a critical point. In this episode, Nicky speaks with Dr Alfred Atanda about why so many physicians are burning out and what can be done to change the trend. From personal experience to system-wide solutions, Dr Atanda shares valuable insights on improving physician well-being and building a more effective healthcare culture.
What if your medical degree could launch more than a clinical career? In this candid and compelling read, Dr Jon Edelson shares his lessons for early-career doctors ready to think beyond the bedside and explore the business of medicine.
As part of our coverage of DDW 2025, we speak with Dr Florian Rieder about the STENOVA trial evaluating AGMB-129 in fibrostenosing Crohn’s disease. He discusses the rationale behind targeting the TGF-β pathway, the trial design, and promising interim findings suggesting localized efficacy and improved stricture symptoms without systemic toxicity.
In this episode, we explore the future of continuing medical education (CME) with the team behind touchIME. Hannah Fisher and Matthew Goodwin share insights into global and US trends, the importance of patient inclusivity and how educational outcomes are evolving to better measure the direct impact of learning on clinical practice and patient care.
New research has shown that infliximab clearance is increased in patients hospitalized with severe ulcerative colitis, potentially leading to a higher risk of underexposure when standard dosing regimens are used. The study, which analyzed infliximab pharmacokinetics in 154 patients with ulcerative colitis, found that patients who were hospitalized exhibited a 35% increase in infliximab clearance compared to outpatients (0.463 L/day vs. 0.339 L/day, p<0.0001). This resulted in subtherapeutic drug levels in the majority of patients from week 2 onwards, with 74% of hospitalized patients having infliximab concentrations below 20 µg/mL at week 2, 69% below 15 µg/mL at week 6, and 56% below 7 µg/mL at week 14.
Research presented at the ACG 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting found no increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) or venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treated with Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) compared to those receiving anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy. This retrospective cohort study, led by Dr. Saqr Alsakarneh, analyzed data from 7,480 adult patients, showing comparable MACE and VTE rates across both treatment groups, even in older adults. These findings provide reassurance regarding the cardiovascular safety of JAKi in managing IBD, although further prospective studies are needed to validate long-term outcomes.
Digestive Disease Week took place between 6-9 May, in this touchIMMUNOLOGY interview, we caught up with our Expert Faculty member Prof. Gil Y. Melmed (Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, CA, USA) around his personal highlights from this year’s conference including non-pivotal ...
Upadacitinib and tofacitinib are both JAK inhibitors (JAKis) approved by the FDA for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. In this interview with Expert Faculty member Prof. Gil Y. Melmed (Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, CA, USA) we discuss the aims, design and ...
The QUASAR Phase 3 Induction Study (NCT04033445) investigated the efficacy and safety of the IL-23 p19 subunit antagonist guselkumab in the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. We caught up with Dr Jessica Allegretti (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, ...
Guselkumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody IL-23 p19 subunit antagonist currently being investigated in hard to treat, moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. We were delighted to speak with Dr Jessica Allegretti, (Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA) ...
 Professor Ailsa Hart (St Mark’s Hospital, London, UK) joined touchIME on World IBD Day and discussed how diagnosis can be challenging, but emerging treatments can improve outcomes for people living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. She also ...
The Personalised Anti-TNF Therapy in Crohn’s disease (PANTS) study was a UK-wide study that looked at anti-TNF treatment failure in Crohn's disease. touchIMMUNOLOGY were delighted to speak with Simeng Lin (University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK) to discuss ...
Anti-TNF therapy is a mainstay of treatment for Crohn's disease although treatment failure in patients with IBD is common. touchIMMUNOLOGY were delighted to speak with Simeng Lin (University of Exeter Medical School, Exeter, UK) to discuss the current standard of ...
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