Author information

1 National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Birmingham, Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

2 Liver Unit, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

3 Department of Gastroenterology, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

4 Centre for Rare Diseases, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.

Abstract

The principal targets for anti-chemokine therapy in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been the receptors CCR9 and CXCR3 and their respective ligands CCL25 and CXCL10. More recently CCR6 and its ligand CCL20 have also received attention, the expression of the latter in enterocytes being manipulated through Smad7 signalling. These pathways, selected based on their fundamental role in regulating mucosal immunity, have led to the development of several therapeutic candidates that have been tested in early phase clinical trials with variable clinical efficacy. In this article, we appraise the status of chemokine-directed therapy in IBD, review recent developments, and nominate future areas for therapeutic focus.