Fighting Fibrosis at the Crossroads of Inflammation and Intestinal Damage

By combining anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic strategies, we’re addressing the long-term complications of IBD

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) refers to a group of chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, primarily comprising Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). It affects approximately 4.9 million individuals worldwide. The underlying cause involves an abnormal immune response, likely triggered by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. In CD, inflammation is transmural and patchy, leading to cell death, ulceration, increased intestinal permeability, and ultimately fibrosis due to excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) and collagen deposition, which results in bowel wall thickening and strictures. In contrast, UC is confined to the mucosal and submucosal layers, causing ulceration, bleeding, and bloody diarrhea, with minimal fibrosis. CD is more commonly associated with complications such as fistulas, abscesses, and strictures, whereas UC typically leads to superficial mucosal damage and urgency. Both conditions may also present with systemic manifestations. Currently, the FDA-approved therapies for IBD focus on controlling inflammation, there is a significant unmet need for treatments specifically targeting intestinal fibrosis.

References

  1. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/inflammatory-bowel-disease
  2. Wang R, Li Z, Liu S, Zhang D. Global, regional and national burden of inflammatory bowel disease in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019: a systematic analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. BMJ Open. 2023 Mar 28;13(3):e065186. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065186. PMID: 36977543; PMCID: PMC10069527
  3. https://calgaryguide.ucalgary.ca/?s=inflammatory+bowel+disease
  4. Welz L, Aden K. Fibrosis and Inflammation in Inflammatory Bowel Disease-More Than 2 Sides of the Same Coin? Gastroenterology. 2023 Jan;164(1):19-21. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2022.10.024. Epub 2022 Oct 29. PMID: 36341736