PUBLICATIONS

There is an on-going need to identify biomarkers that can predict the occurrence and severity of IBD. Previous work reported that a molecule called anti-integrin αvβ6 (anti-αvβ6) autoantibodies are elevated in the blood of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) compared with non-IBD individuals. In a collaboration with Dr. Livanos and Mehandru’s research team the GEM project samples were used to validate whether anti-αvβ6 autoantibodies were elevated in blood samples collected from participants before they went on to develop UC. The results showed that anti-αvβ6 autoantibodies were significantly higher in individuals who go on to develop UC compared to those who did not, and that higher levels of this molecule in the blood were associated with more severe UC outcomes. Importantly, the presence of anti-αvβ6 autoantibodies could be seen in the blood up to 10 years before a UC diagnosis. Taken together, anti-αvβ6 autoantibodies are present in the pre-clinical phase of UC and are associated with the development and worse severity of UC. This suggests that anti-αvβ6 autoantibodies are a pre-clinical and prognostic biomarker for UC. Livanos AE, Dunn A, Fischer J, Ungaro RC, Turpin W, Lee SH, Rui S, Del Valle DM, Jougon JJ, Martinez-Delgado G, Riddle MS, Murray JA, Laird RM, Torres J, Agrawal M, Magee JS, Dervieux T, Gnjatic S, Sheppard D, Sands BE, Porter CK, Croitoru K, Petralia F; CCC-GEM Project Research Consortium; OSCCAR Consortium; Colombel JF, Mehandru S. Anti-integrin αvβ6 autoantibodies are a novel biomarker that antedate ulcerative colitis. Gastroenterology. 2023 Jan 9: S0016-5085(23)00010-0. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2022.12.042. Epub ahead of print.