Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: From Pathophysiology to Novel Therapeutic Approaches (3rd Edition)

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular and Translational Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 652

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Digestive Disease Research Group, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA
2. State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Key Laboratory for Sericulture Functional Genomics & Biotechnology of Agricultural Ministry, Southwest University, Chongqing 400716, China
Interests: inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); ulcerative colitis (UC); colitis-associated cancer (CAC); drug delivery systems (DDSs); natural lipid nanoparticles; natural/genetically modified silk fibroin nanoparticles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD 21250, USA
Interests: nanoparticles; nanomedicine; targeted drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic conditions affecting the digestive tract, with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) being the two main forms. The exact cause of IBD is unknown, but a combination of genetic and environmental factors is believed to be involved. The disease is characterized by a range of symptoms, including abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss, and malnutrition. The pathophysiology of IBD involves an abnormal immune response in the gut, leading to chronic inflammation and damage to the intestinal lining. Treating IBD has been a challenge for the medical community due to the complexity of the disease and limited understanding of its pathophysiology. Current therapies include medications reducing inflammation, such as corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and biologic therapies, but these can have significant side effects and may not be effective for all patients. Innovative therapeutic approaches for IBD, including stem cell transplantation, fecal microbiota transplantation, and modulation of the gut microbiome, are currently under investigation. Researchers are also exploring targeted therapies targeting the underlying causes of IBD, such as novel drug delivery platforms based on micro- and nanotechnology. Significant advances have been made in understanding the mechanisms of IBD and developing new therapeutic approaches in recent years. This Special Issue will publish the latest research advances in IBD and bring together researchers and clinical doctors participating in IBD research. Global experts will discuss topics such as the mechanisms of IBD and research advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of IBD.

Dr. Dingpei Long
Dr. Junsik Sung
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • inflammatory bowel disease
  • Crohn’s disease
  • ulcerative colitis
  • chronic inflammation
  • pathophysiological mechanisms
  • therapeutic approaches
  • stem cell transplantation
  • fecal microbiota transplantation
  • gut microbiome
  • targeted therapies

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

25 pages, 2527 KiB  
Review
Optimizing Biologic Therapy for the Prevention of Post-Operative Recurrence in Crohn’s Disease: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives
by Reem Aljabri, Saqer Al-Saraie and Ahmed Alhouti
Biomedicines 2025, 13(5), 1232; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines13051232 - 19 May 2025
Viewed by 266
Abstract
Crohn’s disease (CD) imposes a substantial burden on patients due to its chronic, relapsing nature, often necessitating surgical intervention. However, surgery is not curative, and post-operative recurrence (POR) remains a major clinical challenge, with up to 80% of patients developing endoscopic recurrence within [...] Read more.
Crohn’s disease (CD) imposes a substantial burden on patients due to its chronic, relapsing nature, often necessitating surgical intervention. However, surgery is not curative, and post-operative recurrence (POR) remains a major clinical challenge, with up to 80% of patients developing endoscopic recurrence within one year if left untreated. The pathophysiology of POR is multifactorial, involving dysregulated immune responses, gut microbiota alterations, and mucosal healing impairment, highlighting the need for targeted therapeutic strategies. This review aims to explore the current landscape of POR management, focusing on biologic therapies and emerging advanced treatments. Conventional management relies on early prophylactic therapy with anti-TNF agents such as infliximab and adalimumab, which have demonstrated efficacy in reducing endoscopic and clinical recurrence. However, newer biologics, including IL-23 inhibitors (risankizumab) and Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors (upadacitinib), have shown promise in CD management, though their role in POR remains underexplored. The lack of direct clinical evidence for advanced biologics in POR prevention, combined with inter-individual variability in treatment response, underscores the need for further research. Future directions should focus on optimizing therapeutic strategies through personalized medicine, identifying predictive biomarkers, and conducting robust trials to establish the efficacy of novel agents in POR prevention. A tailored, evidence-driven approach is essential to improving long-term outcomes and minimizing disease recurrence in post-operative CD patients. Full article
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