VIDEO: The future of ulcerative colitis research

Editor’s note: This is a previously posted video, and the below is an automatically generated transcript to be used for informational purposes. Please notify iwaters@healio.com if there are concerns regarding accuracy of the transcription.

Though we've come a long way over the last several years in treating ulcerative colitis and Crohn's, I think we have a long way to go. Where can we direct the care? I really think it's about how we better, one utilize the medications we have. You know, I think it's about really trying to find predictors of which patient is going to have more severe disease. And if they are going to have more severe disease cause, use our effective therapies earlier in the disease cause. I think a big gap in our knowledge is knowing who's going to respond to what drug or what mechanism. That, to me, is one of the Holy Grails where with either certain questions, blood testing, looking at biopsy results, knowing you're going to respond to anti TNF or you're going to respond to this interleukin blocker. I think, really, better personalization of care is very important. And then of course, my personal opinion is better use of therapeutic drug monitoring, particularly for anti TNF therapies. They still are some of the most effective medications we have and better optimizing them by checking drug concentrations and dosing to appropriate drug levels I think really can help benefit the patients particularly the sickest patients.