Vedolizumab is an anti-α4β7 monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).  A recent study finds that pretreatment α4β7 expression and α4β7 receptor saturation during maintenance therapy were identified as candidate biomarkers for vedolizumab response. This assay leads to promise that we will be able to identify good candidates for biologic therapies in IBD, instead of the historic “try it and see” approach. Given the time it takes to learn if a patient responds, the costs, and the morbidities of some therapies, we look forward to more and more similar assays becoming commercially available.

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