Proteomics and Imaging in Crohn's Disease: TAILS of Unlikely Allies

Abstract

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic relapsing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may be marked by debilitating symptoms of abdominal pain and obstruction. The etiology and pathogenesis of the disease are not fully understood, and treatment with corticosteroids, biologics, and surgical intervention are the usual therapeutic options. Diagnosis, disease activity, and therapeutic response are currently assessed by endoscopy, cross-sectional imaging, and biomarkers. However, challenges remain regarding the efficacy of the drugs and safety of these imaging techniques. There are also limitations with current clinical and laboratory tools for diagnosis, disease progression, and treatment response. Here, we discuss how the integration of proteomics and activity-based probes, along with intestinal ultrasound, an easily repeatable and well-tolerated diagnostic imaging modality, can address these challenges and may provide a novel precision medicine-based approach for the treatment of CD.

Keywords: Crohn’s disease; N-terminomics; activity-based protease profiling; biomarkers; clinical proteomics; ultrasound.