Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39969502›Full record

Trial reportUnited European gastroenterology journal2025

Serum Collagen Biomarkers Are Reflective of Tissue Specific Fibroblasts Associated With Ulcerative Colitis Activity and Treatment Response to Ustekinumab.

Swati Venkat, Joshua Rusbuldt, Dylan Richards, Thomas Freeman, Camilla Richmond, Joachim Hog Mortensen, Jakob Benedict Seidelin, Anja Poulsen, Brad McRae, Darren Ruane

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in United European gastroenterology journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Swati VenkatJanssen Immunology, Translation Sciences & Medicine, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA.
Joshua RusbuldtJanssen Immunology, Translation Sciences & Medicine, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA.
Dylan RichardsJanssen Immunology, Translation Sciences & Medicine, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA.
Thomas FreemanJanssen Immunology, Translation Sciences & Medicine, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA.
Camilla RichmondJanssen Immunology, Translation Sciences & Medicine, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA.
Joachim Hog MortensenBiomarkers and Research, Nordic Bioscience, Herlev, Denmark.
Jakob Benedict SeidelinDepartment of Digestive Diseases, Transplantation and General Surgery, Section for IBD, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Anja PoulsenDepartment of Digestive Diseases, Transplantation and General Surgery, Section for IBD, University Hospital of Copenhagen, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Brad McRaeJanssen Immunology, Translation Sciences & Medicine, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA.
Darren RuaneJanssen Immunology, Translation Sciences & Medicine, Spring House, Pennsylvania, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1053-2313

Funding

Janssen Pharmaceuticals
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThere is a need to identify peripheral biomarkers reflective of defined disease associated fibroblasts in Ulcerative Colitis (UC), with the aim of enabling clinical development approaches for novel-stromal-targeted therapeutics for individuals at risk for fibrostenotic complications. Additionally, longitudinal non-invasive biomarkers of tissue remodelling, fibroblast biology and pharmacodynamic measurements are needed in the clinic to facilitate risk stratification.

aimTo identify novel blood protein biomarkers associated with defined fibroblast subsets, tissue remodelling and treatment response/non-response in UC.

methodsWe performed data analysis on matched serum and tissue transcriptomics from the UNIFI trial at weeks 0 and 8 in clinical responders and non-responders. Detailed gene correlation analysis was performed on 97 colonic biopsies from 50 patients pre- and post-treatment, to construct detailed cell-type mapping associated with clinical parameters. Detailed serum-based proteomics analysis was performed using matched serum and tissue sample sets to evaluate specific correlations between defined tissue cellular subsets and unique peripheral proteins, reflective of defined tissue transcriptional subsets and clinical parameters.

resultsEvaluation of the UNIFI clinical study, revealed a significant association between intestinal-inflammatory activated fibroblasts (IIAF) and various clinical parameters, including Geboes scores. These findings were unique to IIAFs and were confirmed using spatial tissue transcriptomics. Evaluation of novel peripheral proteomics revealed a significant correlation between selective serum collagen biomarkers, including Pro-Collagen 22, Collagen 1M, CTX-III, ELP-3, and the IIAF tissue module. These serum collagen biomarkers were unique to IIAFs, as other broad proteomics methodologies failed to demonstrate significant correlations with known UC serum markers. Ustekinumab endoscopic responders had a significant decrease in IIAFs, which was associated with decreases in these IIAF associated serum proteins. Furthermore, C1M and ELP-3 demonstrated predictive value to enable characterisation of UC patients with IIAF driven disease.

conclusionsThese serum biomarkers were correlated with tissue levels of IIAFs, identifying unique peripheral markers of tissue associated cell types correlated with fibrosis. Given the association of IIAFs and treatment response, this highlights the utility of these triaged collagen biomarkers for anti-stromal therapeutic development and patient stratification in UC and beyond.

Indexed as

Colitis, UlcerativeCollagenFibroblastsUstekinumabAdultBiomarkersBiopsyColonFemaleGene Expression ProfilingHumansMaleMiddle AgedProteomicsTreatment OutcomeBiomarkersCollagenUstekinumabfibroblast biomarkersintestinal‐inflammatory activated fibroblastsmucosal immunologyserum biomarkersulcerative colitis biomarkersUstekinumab

Identifiers

PMID39969502
PMCPMC12269729

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.