New and emerging therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases.
The inflammatory bowel diseases have undergone an explosion of discovery in the last 10 years. The overwhelming focus of this has been in genetics and immune mechanisms of disease. While the former has provided critical information on predisposing factors, the latter has resulted in a panoply of novel immune-based therapies and technologies. These range from an improved approach to the use of conventional immunomodulators, such as azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine, to commonplace availability of anti-tumor necrosis factor agents such as infliximab and adalimumab, through to small molecule inhibition of immune mediators. Unusual treatments, such as helminth infestation, stem cell transplantation, and leucocytapheresis, all derive from the burgeoning understanding of pathogenesis. Most important to our successful use of these therapies will be a fundamental understanding of the patient phenotypes and genotypes that will dictate particular treatment approaches in the future.
St George Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia. m.grimm@unsw.edu.au
Michael C
MC
Grimm
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005762:Gastroenterology / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000639:trends*; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000628:therapy*; D007937:Leukapheresis / Q000639:trends; D018579:Patient Selection; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000639:trends; D035703:Therapies, Investigational / Q000639:trends*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014258:Trichuris / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha