Exploring Predictive Biomarkers of Relapse in Ulcerative Colitis: A Proteomics Approach.

This study aimed to investigate if certain proteins (biomarkers) could predict whether patients with Ulcerative Colitis (UC) would have a disease relapse. Rectal samples were collected from UC patients who were in remission and from healthy individuals. The patients were categorised into two groups: those who had a flare-up within 6 months (early relapsers) and those who did not have a relapse after 36 months (non-relapsers). Using proteomics methodology, it was found that certain proteins were more common in the early relapsers compared to the non-relapsers and healthy individuals. Two proteins, TRX and IGHA1, were significantly higher in the early relapsers. These proteins could potentially be used as markers to identify UC patients who are at risk of having an early relapse. This could help monitoring UC patients more effectively and making better treatment decisions.