Gene Expression Profiling for IBD Treatment Responsiveness

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing treatments with anti-TNFalpha and anti-α4β7 agents for inflammatory bowel diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are ineffective for a significant proportion of patients, leading to uncertainty and potential side effects, necessitating a method to predict treatment responsiveness.

Innovation Solution

A method involving the analysis of gene expression profiles, particularly IL7R, STAT5A, JAK1, JAK3, and other genes, in colonic mucosal samples to determine the likelihood of responsiveness to anti-TNFalpha and anti-α4β7 therapies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If anti-TNFalpha agents are administered to treat inflammatory bowel disease, then inflammation is reduced in responsive patients, but treatment is ineffective and causes side effects in non-responsive patients

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetreatment effectivenessVSAvoidside effects
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing gene expression analysis on colonic mucosal samples before administering anti-TNFalpha therapy. The method determines the expression profile of specific genes (IL7R, STAT5A, JAK1, JAK3, and others) to predict treatment responsiveness in advance, allowing clinicians to identify non-responsive patients before they receive ineffective treatment and potential side effects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If treatment responsiveness is assessed through clinical trial response, then treatment efficacy is confirmed, but time is lost administering ineffective treatment during the trial period

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresponsiveness assessment accuracyVSAvoidtime to determine treatment efficacy
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs gene expression profiling as a preliminary action before initiating treatment trials. By analyzing the expression levels of specific genes in colonic mucosal samples, the method predicts treatment responsiveness in advance, eliminating the need to wait for clinical trial outcomes to determine whether a patient will respond to anti-TNFalpha therapy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If gene expression profiling of multiple genes is performed, then prediction accuracy of treatment responsiveness is improved, but test complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprediction accuracyVSAvoidgene expression test complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies segmentation by focusing on a specific, limited set of genes (IL7R, STAT5A, JAK1, JAK3, and at least one additional gene from a defined group) rather than analyzing the entire genome. This segmented approach to gene expression profiling maintains high prediction accuracy while reducing test complexity compared to comprehensive genomic analysis.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3662081B1Biomarkers for assessing the response status for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in human patients
Publication Date: 2025.10.29 OSE IMMUNOTHERAPEUTICS SA
  • EP3662081B1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP3662081B1 patent drawingFigure 1c
  • EP3662081B1 patent drawingFigure 1d~1g

AI summary

The invention relates to the identification of biomarkers of the response status of a patient for a treatment with anti-TNFalpha agents,for treatment with anti-α4β7 agents or with both anti-TNFalpha agent and anti-α4β7agents and to their use in assessing such status, in particular for assessing nonresponsive status for a treatment with anti-TNFalpha agents or respectively with anti-α4β7 agent in human patients suffering from inflammatory condition or disease, in particular Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), in particular Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn's disease. The invention describes a method of in vitro assessing whether a treatment with anti- TNFalpha agent or with anti-α4β7 agent may be useful in a human patient suffering from inflammatory condition or disease, in particular when said condition or disease is a chronic and/or relapsing one, particularly a gastrointestinal, more particularly intestinal, inflammatory condition or disease which is eligible for treatment with anti-TNFalpha agent or respectively with anti-α4β7 agent. In a specific embodiment the method is suitable to assess whether such patient would be non- responsive to treatment with such anti-TNFalpha agent or respectively with anti-α4β7 agent and comprising determining a molecular signature in a biological sample previously obtained from said human patient.