Gene and cell therapy based treatment strategies for inflammatory bowel diseases

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are a group of chronic inflammatory disorders most commonly affecting young adults. Currently available therapies can result in induction and maintenance of remission, but are not curative and have sometimes important side effects. Advances in basic research in IBD have provided new therapeutic opportunities to target the inflammatory process involved. Gene and cell therapy approaches are suitable to prevent inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract and show therefore potential in the treatment of IBD. In this review, we present the current progress in the field of both gene and cell therapy and future prospects in the context of IBD. Regarding gene therapy, we focus on viral vectors and their applications in preclinical models. The focus for cell therapy is on regulatory T lymphocytes and mesenchymal stromal cells, their potential for the treatment of IBD and the progress made in both preclinical models and clinical trials.

Keywords: Cell therapy; Gene therapy; Immune tolerance; Inflammatory bowel diseases; Mesenchymal stromal cells; Regulatory T lymphocytes; Viral vector.

Figure 1

Emerging treatments for inflammatory bowel diseases. Overview of the gene and cell therapy based treatment strategies for inflammatory bowel diseases as discussed in this review. Treg: CD4⁺CD25^highFOXP3⁺ regulatory T cell; Tr1: Type 1 regulatory T cell; MSC: Mesenchymal stromal cells.