A new way to assess the trajectory of remission in Crohn’s disease: Correlating drug levels with a non-invasive blood-biomarker of mucosal remission

Abstract

Abstract The goal of treatment in Crohn’s disease has evolved from clinical remission to target a deeper level of remission at the mucosal level with transmural healing being an adjunct target. While endoscopy is the main tool in our armamentarium to assess mucosal healing, non-invasive biomarkers especially blood-based are needed for a more frequent assessment until reaching the target and then to monitor sustained remission. Additionally, therapeutic drug monitoring is increasingly utilized to optimize drug levels towards achieving mucosal healing. This editorial examines a study that reports on associations between drug levels of infliximab and adalimumab and mucosal healing predicted using the endoscopic healing index which is a validated blood-based assay to measure mucosal inflammation in adults with Crohn’s disease.