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The management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been transformed over the last two decades by the arrival of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist agents. Recently, alternative drugs have been approved, directed at leukocyte-trafficking molecules (vedolizumab) or other inflammatory cytokines (ustekinumab). New therapeutics are currently being developed in IBD and represent promising targets as they involve other mechanisms of action (JAK molecules, Smad 7 antisense oligonucleotide etc.). Beyond TNF antagonist agents, these alternative drugs are needed for early-stage treatment of patients with aggressive IBD or when the disease is resistant to conventional therapy. Personalized medicine involves the determination of patients with a high risk of progression and complications, and better characterization of patients who may respond preferentially to specific therapies. Indeed, more and more studies aim to identify factors predictive of drug response (corresponding to a specific signaling pathway) that could better manage treatment for patients with IBD. Once treatment has started, disease monitoring is essential and remote patient care could in some circumstances be an attractive option. Telemedicine improves medical adherence and quality of life, and has a positive impact on health outcomes of patients with IBD. This review discusses the current application of personalized medicine to the management of patients with IBD and the advantages and limits of telemedicine in IBD.

Intestinal microfold cells are the primary pathway for translocation of secretory IgA (SIgA)-pathogen complexes to gut-associated lymphoid tissue. Uptake of SIgA/commensals complexes is important for priming adaptive immunity in the mucosa. This study aims to explore the effect of SIgA retrograde transport of immune complexes in Crohn’s disease (CD). Here we report a significant increase of SIgA transport in CD patients with NOD2-mutation compared to CD patients without NOD2 mutation and/or healthy individuals. NOD2 has an effect in the IgA transport through human and mouse M cells by downregulating Dectin-1 and Siglec-5 expression, two receptors involved in retrograde transport. These findings define a mechanism of NOD2-mediated regulation of mucosal responses to intestinal microbiota, which is involved in CD intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis. Trafficking of IgA/commensal complex in the gut has been implicated in inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease, but molecular insights are still lacking. Here the authors show, using mouse model or human cells, that NOD2 mutation increases IgA transport, potentially by altering gut microfold cells from the gut, to impact gut inflammation.

Filgotinib (GLPG0634, GS-6034) is a once-daily, orally administered, Janus kinase 1 (JAK1)-selective inhibitor. The FITZROY study examined the efficacy and safety of filgotinib for the treatment of moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease. We did a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 study, which recruited patients from 52 centres in nine European countries. We enrolled eligible patients aged 18–75 years with a documented history of ileal, colonic, or ileocolonic Crohn's disease for 3 months or more before screening, as assessed by colonoscopy and supported by histology, and a Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) score during screening between 220 and 450 inclusive. Patients were randomly assigned (3:1) to receive filgotinib 200 mg once a day or placebo for 10 weeks. Patients were stratified according to previous anti-tumour necrosis factor alpha exposure, C-reactive protein concentration at screening (≤10 mg/L or >10 mg/L), and oral corticosteroid use at baseline, using an interactive web-based response system. The primary endpoint was clinical remission, defined as CDAI less than 150 at week 10. After week 10, patients were assigned based on responder status to filgotinib 100 mg once a day, filgotinib 200 mg once a day, or placebo for an observational period lasting a further 10 weeks. The filgotinib and placebo treatment groups were compared using ANCOVA models and logistic regression models containing baseline values and randomisation stratification factors as fixed effects. Analyses were done on the intention-to-treat non-responder imputation set. The trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02048618. Between Feb 3, 2014, and July 10, 2015, we enrolled 174 patients with active Crohn's disease confirmed by centrally read endoscopy (130 in the filgotinib 200 mg group and 44 in the placebo group). In the intention-to-treat population, 60 (47%) of 128 patients treated with filgotinib 200 mg achieved clinical remission at week 10 versus ten (23%) of 44 patients treated with placebo (difference 24 percentage points [95% CI 9–39], p=0·0077). In a pooled analysis of all periods of filgotinib and placebo exposure over 20 weeks, serious treatment-emergent adverse effects were reported in 14 (9%) of 152 patients treated with filgotinib and three (4%) of 67 patients treated with placebo. Filgotinib induced clinical remission in significantly more patients with active Crohn's disease compared with placebo, and had an acceptable safety profile. Galapagos.

Cross-sectional magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) and intestinal ultrasonography (IUS) provide valuable and noninvasive information to accurately assess disease activity, severity, and extent; detect complications; and monitor the response to treatment, as well as predict the postoperative recurrence of Crohn’s disease and a negative disease course. Therefore, both imaging modalities are emerging as pivotal diagnostic tools to achieve the emerging therapeutic target of transmural healing associated with better disease outcomes. Despite its numerous potential advantages over endoscopy and even MRE and its good availability, IUS is still widely underused to monitor and manage inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients and help in making clinical decisions in routine practice. This situation is clearly due to the absence of validated, reliable, and responsive indices, as well as the lack of trained gastroenterologists and radiologists, as IUS is a component of radiologist expertise in several countries but not yet integrated into the training program of gastroenterologists. However, there is an increasing body of evidence in the literature that IUS and MRE are both becoming essential imaging resources to help clinicians in making reliable decisions. Here, we discuss the up-to-date evidence about the usefulness and performance of cross-sectional imaging, focusing on the ability of bowel US and MRE to aid clinical decision-making for the optimal management and monitoring of IBD.

The introduction of vedolizumab, a lymphocyte adhesion inhibitor, has expanded the relatively limited therapeutic armamentarium available for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Despite its effectiveness, both primary nonresponse and secondary loss of response to vedolizumab do occur, as is observed with the use of anti-tumour necrosis factor (TNF) therapy. Further, in a proportion, onset of efficacy may be relatively slow. A large body of data support an exposure–response relationship with anti-TNF drug levels, which has led to therapeutic drug monitoring becoming incorporated into everyday clinical management. The influence of patient and disease factors on the pharmacokinetics of anti-TNF levels, including immunogenicity, has also been examined. The role of therapeutic drug monitoring with vedolizumab is less clear. This review summarizes the available evidence on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of vedolizumab in inflammatory bowel disease and how drug levels, immunogenicity and other factors influence clinical outcomes. Vedolizumab clearance is increased with very high body weight and hypoalbuminaemia, but is not influenced by the addition of an immunomodulator. Immunogenicity is uncommon. α4β7 receptor saturation occurs at low serum vedolizumab drug levels, and measuring it alone is insufficient to predict clinical outcomes. Using quartile analysis of vedolizumab drug levels, there appears to be a modest exposure–response relationship during induction. Drug levels at week 6 of approximately >20 μg/ml have been shown to be associated with improved clinical outcomes, including subsequent mucosal healing rates during maintenance and avoiding the need to dose escalate due to lack of response. There are currently insufficient data to support the routine use of therapeutic drug monitoring during maintenance therapy. Further studies to elucidate the role of therapeutic drug monitoring of vedolizumab are needed.

Several decision algorithms based on the measurement of infliximab (IFX) trough levels and antibodies to IFX have been proposed. Whether such algorithms can be extrapolated to the pharmacokinetics of adalimumab (ADA) has yet to be determined. A prospective study included all consecutive patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) having a disease flare while being on ADA 40 mg every 2 weeks were included. All patients were primary responders to ADA therapy and were anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) naive. ADA trough levels and antibodies against ADA (AAA) were measured blinded to clinical data (Elisa LISA-Tracker, Theradiag). All patients were optimized with ADA 40 mg weekly. Four months later, in the absence of clinical remission (CR; Crohn's disease activity index <150 for Crohn's disease (CD), and Mayo score <2 for ulcerative colitis), patients were treated with IFX therapy. Patients were divided into three groups based on ADA trough levels and based on previous studies: group A, ADA>4.9 μg/ml; group B, ADA<4.9 μg/ml and undetectable levels of AAA (<10 ng/ml); and group C, ADA<4.9 μg/ml and AAA >10 ng/ml. A total of 82 patients were included (55% CD; mean age=43 years, disease duration=7.4 years, duration of ADA therapy=17 months). After optimization of ADA treatment, 29.2% of patients achieved CR in group A (N=41), 67% in group B (N=24), and 12% in group C (N=17; P<0.01 between groups A/B and B/C). C-reactive protein level at the time of relapse, disease duration, duration of ADA therapy, and IBD type was not predictive of CR after ADA optimization by univariate analysis. The response to ADA optimization was significantly more durable in group B (15 months) than in groups A and C (4 and 5 months, respectively). Fifty-two patients who failed following ADA optimization (63%) were treated with IFX, and 30.6% of them achieved CR. CR rates following IFX initiation were 6.9%, 25%, and 80% in groups A, B, and C, respectively (P<0.01 between groups C/A and between groups C/B). Duration of response to IFX was significantly higher in group C than in groups A and B (14 vs. 3 and 5 months, respectively, P<0.01). The presence of low ADA trough levels without AAA is strongly predictive of clinical response in 67% of cases after ADA optimization. Conversely, low ADA levels with detectable AAA are associated with ADA failure, and switching to IFX should be considered. ADA trough levels >4.9 μg/ml are associated with failure of two anti-TNF agents (ADA and IFX) in 90% of cases, and switching to another drug class should be considered.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV)-associated colitis reflects the adverse impact of CMV reactivation on ulcerative colitis (UC). Its diagnosis requires the detection of viral markers in intestinal biopsies sampled during endoscopy, which may constitute invasive and expensive analyses. Moreover, less than 30% of acute flare-ups in steroid refractory UC are associated with CMV colitis. This retrospective study aimed to identify non-invasive factors that are predictive of CMV reactivation, and was conducted from 2014 to 2019 in a cohort of UC patients consulting at the University Hospital of Saint-Etienne, France. Patient characteristics, disease activity, immunosuppressive treatment and tissue CMV DNA load were collected at the time of UC relapse. Factors potentially associated with CMV reactivation were analyzed through a multivariate analysis. A total of 173 UC patients providing 323 pairs of intestinal biopsies were analyzed. In the CMV seropositive subgroup, a Mayo endoscopic score ≥2 (OR 2.553, 95% CI 1.353–4.818, p = 0.004) was identified as a predictive factor of CMV colitis in the multivariate analysis; in contrast, biological parameters exhibited no predictive value. In addition, the use of anti-TNFα monoclonal antibodies was associated with a reduced risk of CMV reactivation (OR 0.384, 95% CI 0.158–0.935, p = 0.035). Intestinal biopsies appear to be unavoidable for assessing disease activity and CMV reactivation in UC patients.

Intestinal microfold (M) cells possess a high transcytosis capacity and are able to transport a broad range of materials including particulate antigens, soluble macromolecules, and pathogens from the intestinal lumen to inductive sites of the mucosal immune system. M cells are also the primary pathway for delivery of secretory IgA (SIgA) to the gut-associated lymphoid tissue. However, although the consequences of SIgA uptake by M cells are now well known and described, the mechanisms whereby SIgA is selectively bound and taken up remain poorly understood. Here we first demonstrate that both the Cα1 region and glycosylation, more particularly sialic acid residues, are involved in M cell-mediated reverse transcytosis. Second, we found that SIgA is taken up by M cells via the Dectin-1 receptor, with the possible involvement of Siglec-5 acting as a co-receptor. Third, we establish that transcytosed SIgA is taken up by mucosal CX3CR1⁺ dendritic cells (DCs) via the DC-SIGN receptor. Fourth, we show that mucosal and systemic antibody responses against the HIV p24-SIgA complexes administered orally is strictly dependent on the expression of Dectin-1. Having deciphered the mechanisms leading to specific targeting of SIgA-based Ag complexes paves the way to the use of such a vehicle for mucosal vaccination against various infectious diseases.

Inflammatory bowel disease, encompassing ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, is characterised by chronic immune-mediated inflammation and variable treatment response. Loss of drug efficacy due to underexposure, pharmacokinetic variability, and immunogenicity remains a key challenge. Therapeutic drug monitoring, using drug levels and anti-drug antibody measurements, is an important strategy for optimising the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. It helps ensure adequate dosing and can distinguish between pharmacokinetic and mechanistic drug failure. Most evidence pertains to infliximab and adalimumab. Multiple factors influence drug pharmacokinetics, affecting both target drug levels and the doses required to achieve them. These include inflammatory burden, bodyweight, age, disease phenotype, and route of administration, all of which are important considerations for individualising treatment in inflammatory bowel disease. This narrative review explores how special clinical situations—acute severe ulcerative colitis, perianal fistulising Crohn’s disease, hypoalbuminaemia, extremes of body composition, pregnancy, paediatrics, and advanced age—alter drug pharmacokinetics and influence the utility and interpretation of therapeutic drug monitoring in inflammatory bowel disease.