Letter from the Editor

Dear readers,

Welcome to our special edition covering the highlights of the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2024 conference, which took place in May in Washington, DC. This esteemed event showcased groundbreaking research and innovative treatments across the spectrum of gastroenterology.

Significant advances were made in eosinophilic oesophagitis treatment. Mepolizumab improved histologic severity of the disease, budesonide demonstrated significant improvement in clinical, endoscopic, and histological outcomes, and dupilumab showed promising results in paediatric patients. Furthermore, a study on quality-of-life assessments in children revealed differences in perceptions between parents and children.

Research on the gut-brain axis highlighted a link between gut permeability and neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s disease, pointing toward new therapeutic possibilities. In cardiovascular health, bariatric surgery was associated with better outcomes compared with GLP-1 receptor agonists, while survodutide met expectations in treating metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis.

Inflammatory bowel disease therapies saw notable progress. Guselkumab proved effective for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, while vedolizumab maintained remission in paediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Though darvadstrocel did not meet primary endpoints for complex Crohn’s perianal fistulas, it provided valuable insights.

Endoscopy and screening innovations were also highlighted. The PREEMPT CRC study validated a blood-based test for colorectal cancer, showing high sensitivity and specificity, and a new cable-transmission capsule endoscopy demonstrated high accuracy in detecting upper gastrointestinal lesions.

In liver diseases, atezolizumab plus bevacizumab showed superior overall survival for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, and nutritional consultation improved nutritional status in patients with alcohol-associated hepatitis. Additionally, the REGENERATE study confirmed the antifibrotic benefits of obeticholic acid in NASH.

We hope this concise overview gives you insight into the highlights presented at DDW 2024.

Warm regards,

Marjolijn Duijvestein

 

Biography

Marjolijn Duijvestein works as a gastroenterologist in the IBD team of the Radboudumc in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. In 2012, she obtained her PhD at Leiden University and was trained as a gastroenterologist specialised in IBD disease at the Amsterdam UMC in Amsterdam. As part of her training, she gained experience at the University of California San Diego (UCSD, USA) and performed an internship at Alimentiv (former Robarts Clinical Trials), an academic research organisation dedicated to drug development for IBD. Her clinical activity and research are focused on IBD, in particular clinical and translational research.

Conflict of Interest Statement: Has served as an advisor for Echo Pharma and Robarts Clinical Trials, reports nonfinancial support from Dr Falk Pharma, and received speaker fees from Janssen, Merck & Co., Pfizer, Takeda and Tillotts Pharma. Advisory boards Janssen, Takeda, BMS and Abbvie.



Posted on 11 July 202411 July 2024