Researchers have developed a new test that can predict the severity of inflammatory bowel disease. The test will help allow for more personalized treatment plans in the future. Share on Pinterest A new test might soon help doctors predict the course of IBD. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is the term that doctors use to describe chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1.3% of adults in the United States have IBD. Types of IBD include Crohn’s disease, which involves the lining of the digestive tract, and ulcerative colitis, which affects the lining of the large intestine and rectum. The symptoms of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis may vary, depending on the severity of inflammation, but they usually involve diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, and weight loss. Various medicines can treat the symptoms of IBD and stop its reoccurrence, but there is currently no cure. The more severe the inflammation is, the more powerful the drugs need to be, and some of these medications can have unpleasant side effects. For this reason, researchers are keen to find ways to predict how the course of the disease will progress to guide the treatment options. To date, however, this has not been possible.

Developing a new prognostic test Previously, researchers in Cambridge in the United Kingdom demonstrated the potential to use a genetic signature in CD8 T cells — a type of immune cell — to predict the severity of IBD. However, a test was not practical because isolating CD8 T cells and identifying the signature was complex. Following on from this, scientists at the U.K.’s University of Cambridge focused on developing a test — using the CD8 T cell signature — but with readily available technology. The researchers, who have published their findings in the journal Gut, used a mix of machine learning and a whole-blood assay called quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). By using qPCR, which is a commonplace tool in many healthcare and research labs, they could identify genetic signatures and ascertain whether someone’s IBD would be mild or severe. Once the test was ready, the scientists confirmed their findings in more than 120 people with IBD from across the U.K. Dr. James Lee, who is the joint first author of the study, explains how straightforward the process could prove. “Using simple technology that is available in almost every hospital, our test looks for a biomarker — essentially, a medical signature — to identify which patients are likely to have mild IBD and which ones will have more serious illness.” Author Dr. James Lee Continuing, Dr. Lee says: “If an individual is likely to have only mild disease, they don’t want to be taking strong drugs with unpleasant side-effects. But, similarly, if someone is likely to have a more aggressive form of the disease, then the evidence suggests that the sooner we can start them on the best available treatments, the better we can manage their condition.”