How can immunotherapy help with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)?

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, involve chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. Patients suffering from IBD have an elevated risk of developing colon cancer, blood clots, and other manifestations of chronic inflammation. Current therapies are geared together managing the symptoms of IBD, but novel immunotherapies are utilizing naturally found bacteriophages with strong immunosuppressive properties with the aim of reducing intestinal epithelial cell inflammation. These therapies have been found to be safe when used in combination with anti-inflammatory medication.1

Reference:
1. A. Gorski, et al., "Bacteriophages targeting intestinal epithelial cells: a potential novel form of immunotherapy," Cell Mol Life Sci 75(4) 589-595, 2018.