New Clinical Advances in the Management of Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis

Dear Colleagues,

Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) belong to the most important pathologies within the gastrointestinal tract. Even though their clinical appearance seems to be already deeply explored, there are still some essential gaps concerning the natural history of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Dysregulated immunity was believed to be a crucial causative factor leading to the development of IBD. However, nowadays, impaired integrity of the intestinal barrier, complement components secreted locally within the intestinal mucosa and mucosa per se promoting immune intolerance are becoming major players in the manifestation of IBD. These dependencies might be the answer to failures in the achievement of durable remission even in patients with endoscopically proven mucosal healing. Furthermore, protein quantity in the diet, microbial metabolism and dysbiosis constitute another significant context in the presentation of CD and UC. Thus, even successful biological therapy from a clinical point of view might only cover ongoing mucosal inflammation. Taking everything into consideration, there is still great demand for new data in this field of medicine to understand IBD in its molecular presentation better and to offer patients new modalities of treatment. 

This Special Issue aims to present current knowledge considering the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of IBD with underlying potential novel biomarkers that could be applied in all of the above-mentioned stages. 

Original research and comprehensive reviews are highly welcomed. Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• New serological and tissue markers of IBD to predict and diagnose the disease
• Treatment modalities of IBD: Is dual biologic therapy a solution for any concerns?
• Monitoring of the clinical advance of IBD: Are there any novel tools ahead?
• Impaired intestinal barrier in IBD patients: Markers and possible therapeutic options
• Dysbiosis as a causative factor and target for treatment in IBD

Dr. Agata Michalak
Guest Editor

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