Ulcerative colitis: clinical biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and emerging treatments

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the two forms of inflammatory bowel disease. It affects 5 million people globally, and is a chronic and recurring inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract with clinical presentation of abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and weight loss. The cause and the etiology of UC remain poorly understood. There is no cure and no 'gold standard diagnostic' for UC. The existing treatments are ineffective, and UC patients have a lower life expectancy with a risk of colorectal cancer. Recent studies in pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and biomarkers have significantly improved our understanding of UC. In this review we summarize recent advances in identifying novel clinical biomarkers, diagnostics, treatment targets, and emerging therapeutics. These insights are expected to assist in developing effective treatments for UC.