Editorial
Copyright ©2007 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Apr 7, 2007; 13(13): 1893-1896
Published online Apr 7, 2007. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v13.i13.1893
Innovative therapeutics for inflammatory bowel disease
Jesus K Yamamoto-Furusho
Jesus K Yamamoto-Furusho, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición. Vasco de Quiroga 15, Colonia Sección XVI, Tlalpan, México CP 14000, DF México
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Correspondence to: Jesus K Yamamoto-Furusho, MD, PhD, MSc, Head of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Clinic, Department of Gastroenterology, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán. Vasco de Quiroga 15, Col. Sección XVI, Tlalpan, México CP 14000, DF Mexico. kazuofurusho@hotmail.com
Telephone: +52-55-5533418 Fax: +52-55-56550942
Received: February 27, 2007
Revised: March 7, 2006
Accepted: March 21, 2007
Published online: April 7, 2007
Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, which clinically present as one of two disorders, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Mainstays of drug treatments for IBD include aminosalicylates, corticosteroids and immunosuppressants such as azathioprine, methotrexate and cyclosporin. Advances in basic research of the pathophysiological process in IBD have been applied to generate a variety of new therapeutics targeting at different levels of the inflammatory processes. New therapies are classified as: (1) Anti-TNFα antibodies; (2) Recombinant cytokines; (3) Selective adhesion blockade; (4) Growth factors; (5) Innate immunostimulation; (6) Nucleic acid based therapies; (7) Gene therapy; (8) Autologous bone-marrow transplantation; (9) Helminths and (10) Extracorporeal immunomodulation. All treatments have the potential to provide more effective and safe treatment for IBD.

Keywords: Novel agents; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Biologic therapy; Future agents