Inflammatory bowel diseases cannot be entirely cured but instead, the symptoms are treated with anti-inflammatory drugs--sometimes surgical intervention is needed.
Learn more about inflammatory bowel diseases:
If traditional therapeutics based on anti-inflammatory drugs are ineffective, then these diseases can be targeted using infliximab, which blocks TNF-α activity via injections. However, patient conditions are diverse and Infliximab is not always effective.
"A test for predicting responses would help to choose drug therapies and avoid unnecessary drug use, which would reduce potential adverse effects and save on drug expenses in the healthcare system," postdoctoral researcher Eija Nissilä says.
Findings were published in the Journal of Crohn's and Colitis and reveals how gut microbiota is linked to infliximab therapy response.
"Such a predictive test would make it possible to choose the appropriate therapy, providing savings in drug therapy costs in healthcare," Nissilä notes.
Sources: Science Daily