Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease that causes inflammation in the large intestine, affecting between 600,000 and 900,000 Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health.
While current treatments help some patients, many do not respond well or fail to achieve long-term relief.
Now, two global studies published in The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet introduce new treatments that could help patients with moderate to severe UC.
Dr. David T. Rubin, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago, co-authored both studies and explained:
“For a long time, only a percentage of patients responded to available treatments. These new therapies show real promise for improving outcomes.”
Study 1: Tulisokibart—A Personalized Treatment Approach
The first study focused on a new drug called tulisokibart, which works by blocking TL1A, a protein linked to inflammation in UC. Researchers also explored whether genetic testing could help predict which patients would respond best to the drug.
The study included 135 adults with moderate to severe UC who had not improved with other treatments. They were randomly assigned tulisokibart or a placebo for 12 weeks. Results showed:
- 26% of those on tulisokibart achieved remission, compared to just 1% in the placebo group.
Researchers then tested a smaller group of 43 patients who had a specific gene linked to TL1A. They found that:
- 32% of these patients achieved remission, compared to 11% on placebo.
While these results were not statistically conclusive, they suggest that genetic testing could help match patients to the right treatment in the future.
“This could open doors for using pharmacogenomics—matching treatments to a patient’s genes—to improve outcomes,”said Dr. Rubin.
Study 2: Guselkumab (Tremfya)—Now FDA-Approved for Ulcerative Colitis
The second study, published in The Lancet, tested another drug, guselkumab (Tremfya), which targets IL-23, a protein that drives inflammation in many immune diseases.
Already used to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, Tremfya was tested for UC in a large trial of 701 patients over 44 weeks. Results showed:
- 23% of patients on Tremfya were in remission at 12 weeks, compared to 8% on placebo.
- At 44 weeks, 50% of those on Tremfya stayed in remission, compared to just 19% on placebo.
The study also confirmed that the drug is safe, with side effects similar to those seen in its other approved uses.
Following this research, the FDA approved Tremfya for treating moderate to severe ulcerative colitis. In September 2024, the University of Chicago Medicine became the first hospital in the world to administer the drug to a UC patient.
Future Advancements: A New Way to Diagnose IBD?
In addition to these new treatments, Dr. Rubin and Dr. Eugene B. Chang also worked on a study published in Nature Medicine with researchers from Hong Kong. They identified gut bacteria that are always present in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
This discovery could lead to a non-invasive stool test to diagnose IBD early—allowing doctors to intervene before surgery becomes necessary.
Why This Matters
These breakthroughs bring hope for people struggling with ulcerative colitis. With new treatments like tulisokibart and Tremfya, doctors now have more options to help patients achieve remission.
“It’s great to have another effective option for our patients,” Dr. Rubin said.
For more information about gut health, please see recent studies about the crucial link between diet, gut health, and the immune system and results showing that Low-gluten, high-fiber diets boost gut health and weight loss.
For more information about gut health, please see recent studies about Navigating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with diet and results showing that Mycoprotein in diet may reduce risk of bowel cancer and improve gut health.
The research findings can be found in New England Journal of Medicine.
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