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Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) clinical trials face a recruitment crisis. This is attributable to multiple individual trials competing for the same pool of participants, growing sample size demands and the increased availability of licensed alternative options for many potential participants. We need phase II trials that are more efficient both in design and in outcomes measured in order to deliver earlier and more precise answers, rather than simply offering a crude preview of what a subsequent phase III trial might look like.
Colon capsule endoscopy (CCE) is used for restricted indications only. Growing demand for out-of-hospital treatment combined with technical and clinical improvements in quality has made a wider use plausible. Artificial intelligence-supported footage analysis and quality assessment might further improve quality and reduce the price of CCE to a competitive level.
Advances in single-cell technologies and lineage tracing have improved our understanding of liver development. In this Review, Hoodless and colleagues discuss the formation of liver parenchymal and non-parenchymal cell types, and describe emerging parallels between early liver development and the pathogenesis of liver injury.
Up to one-third of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) also experience anxiety or depression. In this Review, we highlight common challenges that arise when managing patients with IBS and co-occurring anxiety and depression, and provide recommendations for tailoring clinical assessment and treatment.
Single-cell profiling studies of the human gastrointestinal tract are increasing, offering an excellent opportunity to generate the first Human Gut Cell Atlas. This Roadmap presents a structured direction towards this goal and provides a detailed overview of the major challenges.
The appendix is thought to have a role in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis but the association remains unclear. In this Perspective, the authors consider the biology of the appendix with respect to its immunological function and the microbiome, and how this relates to its possible involvement in ulcerative colitis.
