Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic condition where the patient experiences reoccurring inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, most often centered around the large intestine.
As it is a chronic condition with a relatively high prevalence, the condition gets a lot of attention from academic research groups as well as pharma companies working on solutions to increase the quality of life of these patients.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a chronic condition where the patient experiences reoccurring inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, most often centered around the large intestine.
As it is a chronic condition with a relatively high prevalence, the condition gets a lot of attention from academic research groups as well as pharma companies working on solutions to increase the quality of life of these patients.
One of the key biomarkers for IBD is Calprotectin. As a native protein found in neutrophils, calprotectin is an excellent biomarker for inflammation. The level of calprotectin in stool samples correlates well to the level of neutrophils activated, which is an indication of the level of inflammation. Calprotectin levels increase before any clinical symptoms manifest, making it especially useful as a biomarker for IBD. This means that patients can receive more effective treatment and a reduced time to remission following a relapse (Elkjaer et al., 2015).
Patients suffering from chronic disease require a lot of time from their treating physicians. One way to alleviate the pressure on the clinic and save time for the patients is to shift them over to a distant management program. This allows patients to participate to a greater extent in their disease management. However, this requires that the patient is equipped with monitoring tools that enable physicians to provide accurate follow-ups.
For patients with diabetes, the glucometer serves this purpose well. With the technological development, corresponding tests, such as CalproSmart, are now available for IBD patients. They allow clinicians to monitor the patient's disease state regularly, making quicker intervention possible when the symptoms and the quantified calprotectin results indicate that the patient is going into a flare.
A great benefit of self-tests is their potential use in clinical trials and studies. One way is to use it as a tool in the inclusion phase, where participants can be monitored and enrolled without any delays once a flare is imminent. Another way is to collect data from ongoing trials. As the subject can easily perform the test at home while providing symptom scores through third-party solutions – a phone call, PRO-apps, or web-based forms – the study can collect many more data points and with increased adherence. An added benefit is that the study team does not need to handle stool samples from all participating patients.
Informed decision starts with having sufficient data – both regarding the objective measures and the patient’s symptoms. This is valid whether it relates to patient care, academic studies, or clinical trials in drug development. Monitoring patients more frequently can give additional information about the development of the patient’s condition or how a clinical trial subject responds to treatment.
Calprotectin is one of Svar’s specialties through our Calpro unit. With more than 25 years of experience, we are one of the world leaders on calprotectin self-tests. If you have any questions on how you can use the rapid self-test in the clinic or in a trial, feel free to reach out to our team for a consultation!