The ECCO Topical Review on Predictive Models on IBD Disease Course and Treatment Response was launched in late December 2023 and a virtual kick-off meeting took place in early 2024. At the heart of this Topical Review lies the lack of a trusted model to predict clinical course in IBD patients. Indeed, the wide treatment armentarium available today, with many new drugs and therapeutic classes entering clinical practice, makes decision-making increasingly complex. While the role of medications and surgical options is addressed in the ECCO Guidelines on Therapeutics in Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease, prediction of the optimal use and sequence of treatment options remains elusive. Although several biomarkers with the potential to foresee disease course and treatment response have been identified, none has been established in clinical practice. Hence, clinical decision-making relies on dynamic clinical assessment, together with endoscopic evaluation and C-reactive protein and faecal calprotectin measurements.
We take great pleasure in announcing that, following a lapse of one year, the ECCO Educational Committee (EduCom) will once again be holding a series of ECCO Educational Workshops.
These workshops will take place on the following dates in the following cities:
74th ECCO Workshop in Katowice, Poland – April 26, 2025
75th ECCO Workshop in Tallinn, Estonia – June 6, 2025
76th ECCO Workshop in Siófok, Hungary – June 12, 2025
77th ECCO Workshop in Lima, Peru – August 29, 2025
78th ECCO Workshop in Dubai, United Arab Emirates – September 20, 2025
I'm excited to share some great news about our e-Learning platform. As we settle into the cozy winter season, I encourage you to explore the latest additions to the ECCO e-Learning platform.
You may recall our Spring e-Learning Tour video, which highlighted the platform's key features. If you haven't seen it yet, I invite you to watch it below.
The incidence of all-age IBD is increasing worldwide, with studies in paediatric IBD (PIBD) showing a continued rise in the last few decades [1]. A recent significant publication by the French EPIMAD (population-based registry) group evaluated the incidence, prevalence and clinical presentation over a 30-year period from 1988 to 2017 [2]. Of the 22,879 incident IBD cases, 2013 were diagnosed before the age of 17 years (9% of all cases). IBD incidence rates rose significantly over the study period in all paediatric age groups [highest incidence of 10.6/100,000 (95%CI 10.1–11.1) in the 10- to 16-year group], with the overall paediatric population showing the highest annual percentage change between the earliest and the latest epoch [+4.6% (95%CI 3.9–5.2) compared to +1.5% (95%CI 1.2–1.8) for the entire IBD cohort].
The new REACH strategy was launched at ECCO’24 in Stockholm by ECCO President Britta Siegmund. The acronym defines the goals for ECCO Activities over the next five years. Each year, ECCO will focus on a particular goal. The current goal is Equitable Access to Health Care, while the goal for 2025, commencing at ECCO’25 in Berlin, will be Attain Sustainable IBD Care and that for 2026 will be Holistic IBD Care. ( Ref.: ECCO REACH strategy by ECCO governing board, ECCO homepage). These goals will help to better define and expand the ECCO Mission to improve care for all IBD patients.
Diet is now widely recognised to be a significant factor in the pathogenesis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). A growing body of epidemiological research has established links between dietary behaviour, particularly consumption of the Mediterranean diet vs the Western diet, and the risk of developing Crohn’s Disease and/or Ulcerative Colitis. Moreover, mechanistic studies, often conducted in mouse models, have shed light on how specific dietary components impact the onset and severity of intestinal inflammation. For instance, dietary fibres, fatty acids and emulsifiers have been shown to directly affect host cells or modulate the composition and functions of the gut microbiota, thereby influencing IBD progression. In addition, intervention studies involving human subjects now emphasise the importance of incorporating diet into the therapeutic approach for IBD. However, the optimal role of diet in managing IBD remains an area of ongoing investigation.
Pokémon is a globally popular Japanese cartoon. My son is a Pokémon enthusiast. He loves the thrilling evolution of Pokémon creatures from the young Pokémon into its more advanced form. The suspense surrounding the ECCO Young Researcher Award mirrors this Pokémon transformation, as emerging researchers in our community are recognised for their own distinguished professional growth.
Two recipients of the 2024 ECCO Young Researcher Award, João Pedro Guedelha Sabino and Jakob Zimmerman, share their insights on how this ECCO recognition benefits their careers.
Harry Sokol is a prominent gastroenterologist at Saint Antoine Hospital and Sorbonne Université and the President of the French Group of Faecal Microbiota Transplantation. In this edition of the ECCO Interview Corner, Professor Sokol shares his journey into gastroenterology, his pioneering work on Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and the gut microbiome and his vision for the future research.
A biomarker-stratified comparison of top-down versus accelerated step-up treatment strategies for patients with newly diagnosed Crohn’s disease (PROFILE): a multicentre, open-label randomised controlled trial
There is debate on the optimal management of newly diagnosed active Crohn’s Disease (CD). The most commonly used treatment strategy around the world is a “step-up” treatment approach. This involves initial use of steroids at diagnosis to induce remission, followed by introduction of immunomodulators such as azathioprine to maintain that remission. Subsequently, if this treatment fails to control inflammation, patients are escalated to advanced therapies such as anti-TNF biological agents. When performed rapidly, this can be referred to as “accelerated step-up” treatment, and indeed in many countries this accelerated step-up approach is considered standard of care (conventional) treatment. An alternative treatment strategy is a more “top-down” approach , where there is early introduction of an advanced therapy, typically an anti-TNF agent.
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), comprising the two most common subtypes of Crohn's Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC), are chronic inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors, particularly infliximab, have been pivotal in the management of moderate to severe IBD. While effective, intravenous administration of infliximab typically involves regular visits to hospital-based infusion centres. Particularly from a patient convenience point of view, many individuals would prefer to administer medication at home without the need to attend infusion centres and without the need for intravenous administration. The development of a subcutaneous (SC) formulation of infliximab (CT-P13) aims to enhance patient convenience and adherence by allowing self-administration at home [1–3] . In the LIBERTY trials, Hanauer and colleagues sought to examine the efficacy and safety of CT-P13 SC as maintenance therapy in IBD, in two randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials.
Pascal Juillerat 
Maria Manuela Estevinho
