Volume 21, Issue 2

Dear Friends, We have now entered the latter part of 2026 and this can mean only one thing: the next ECCO Congress is already on the horizon! With abstract submissions due in November, lots of work is already underway to ensure that the 22nd ECCO Congress in Copenhagen will be one of the best yet. In particular, we hope to offer lots of opportunities for Y-ECCO Members to get involved and to further develop networks and collaborations.

Ask any gastroenterologist in Europe to name a leading voice in IBD and microscopic colitis research, and the name Juozas Kupčinskas quickly comes up. Head of the Department of Gastroenterology and Vice Rector for Research at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (LSMU) in Kaunas, Juozas has built one of the most versatile research profiles in the field, spanning IBD, microscopic colitis, genetics and the gut microbiome. He now brings that breadth of experience to ECCO's newly formed Committee for Microscopic Colitis. We sat down with Juozas for this edition of the Y-ECCO Interview Corn

Microscopic colitis (MC) has long been one of the most common yet under-recognised causes of chronic diarrhoea. Although many patients achieve symptom control with budesonide, a substantial subgroup develops refractory, dependent or intolerant disease, creating significant therapeutic challenges for both patients and clinicians. Despite these unmet needs, evidence to guide treatment beyond budesonide has remained remarkably limited.

Dear ECCO Friends and Community, It is our pleasure to present a new Meet the Reps interview, this time featuring Austria’s ECCO National Representative, Andreas Blesl.

Dear ECCO Friends and Family, In this new episode of Meet the JCC Authors, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sara El Ouali about her recent publication in the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis titled: “Ustekinumab for ileal stricturing Crohn’s disease—an international multicenter retrospective cohort study.”

Dear ECCO Family, In this interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with Professor Tarkan Karakan, an experienced clinician working in inflammatory bowel disease in a low- and middle-income country setting. Our conversation explored the practical realities of diagnosing and managing IBD, including limited healthcare resources, access to advanced therapies, and diagnostic infrastructure.