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For certain infections, faecal transplants have resulted in remarkable recoveries. Will the same ever be true for people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)? It’s a condition on the rise in Asia, but why? Follow those trying to find out, and learn how our environments influence IBD in this new Outlook. Plus, an engaging infographic provides an introduction to the biology and statistics that underlie IBD.
Biologic agents have revolutionized the management of IBD and biosimilars (copy versions of the originator agents) are emerging as an alternative. This Review outlines the concept of biosimilars and their adoption in gastroenterology, their current use and future challenges.
Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for refractory Crohn's disease has the potential to halt therapy-resistant inflammation. Hawkey et al. argue that HSCT does not offer sustained benefit based upon their recent study; however, their study was designed using suboptimal end points and patients were not offered post-transplantation Crohn's disease medication.
IBD is known to be associated with an abnormal response to an unbalanced gut microbiota in genetically predisposed individuals. The therapeutic goal now is to control progression of the disease. Given the heterogeneity of IBD, the two universes of basic and clinical science must work in parallel to realize the hope of personalized therapy.
The incidence and prevalence of IBD is changing, in both established and emerging populations. Here, the epidemiological trends of IBD are described, as are the risk factors (such as genetics, microbiota and lifestyle) that might contribute to disease development. How these risk factors, particularly the environmental ones, can be modified as a means of intervention for disease management are also discussed.
IBD is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the gut and major progress has been made in understanding the underlying mechanisms that mediate the disease. Here, the authors provide a comprehensive overview of the immunopathogenesis of IBD, discussing known and emerging pathogenic factors that include immune and nonimmune events.
Organoids formed by combining pluripotent-stem-cell-derived human neural crest cells with pluripotent-stem-cell-derived intestinal tissue show functional interstitial cells of Cajal and undergo waves of contraction; these tissues reveal insights into the molecular defects characterizing Hirschsprung's disease.