Towards preventive IBD care: From preclinical disease to prevention of progression and complications

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) result from a complex interplay between genetic susceptibility, immune dysregulation, the intestinal microbiome, and environmental exposures. While therapeutic options have expanded considerably, current management remains predominantly focused on controlling established inflammation and treating disease after its clinical onset. Growing knowledge of the preclinical phases of IBD, together with advances in multi-omics, microbiome research, environmental epidemiology, and disease monitoring, is creating opportunities to shift from a reactive to a preventive model of care. Prevention in IBD may therefore encompass a broad continuum: preventing disease onset in susceptible individuals, limiting progression in newly diagnosed patients, and avoiding irreversible bowel damage, complications, surgery, recurrence, and long-term disability in established disease.The goal of this Research Topic is to explore how advances in basic, translational, and clinical research can contribute to a new framework of prevention in IBD. Particular attention will be given to strategies capable of translating knowledge of disease mechanisms and modifiable risk factors into interventions across different stages of the disease continuum.We aim to bring together research investigating the biological events preceding clinically apparent IBD, including host–microbiome interactions, immune alterations, genetic susceptibility, and environmental exposures, alongside clinical studies addressing interventions that may modify disease trajectory. These may include dietary and lifestyle strategies, microbiome-targeted approaches, early therapeutic intervention, tight disease monitoring, treat-to-target strategies, and prevention of structural bowel damage and disease-related complications. Integrating mechanistic discoveries with prospective clinical studies may ultimately enable preventive strategies tailored to individual risk and disease stage.This Research Topic welcomes contributions spanning basic science, translational research, clinical studies, and epidemiology. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:• Preclinical IBD, at-risk populations, and mechanisms driving transition from susceptibility to clinically overt disease;• Environmental, dietary, lifestyle, microbial, metabolic, genetic, and immune determinants of IBD onset and progression;• Interventions targeting the microbiome, exposome, nutrition, or immune pathways for primary or secondary prevention;• Early intervention and disease-modification strategies aimed at preventing progression, bowel damage, strictures, penetrating disease, hospitalization, and surgery;• Prevention of relapse, postoperative recurrence, colorectal neoplasia, treatment-related complications, and long-term disability;• Novel clinical trial designs, biomarkers, multi-omics, digital tools, and monitoring strategies supporting preventive and risk-adapted care.We welcome Original Research, Systematic Review, Review, Mini Review, Perspective, and Hypothesis and Theory articles addressing the transition from reactive disease management toward preventive IBD care.Topic Editor AdB receives speaker’s fees from AbbVie, Galapagos, Ferring, Lilly and Celltrion, and consulting's fee from J&J and Ferring. Topic Editor RF-I receives speaker's fees or consulting from Abbvie, MSD, Takeda, Lilly, Ferring, Pfizer, J&J, Falk, Tillotts, Diasorin, and Kern. Topic Editor ON receives advisory board fees from Eli Lilly, Nestlè, Janssen; Speaker fees from AbbVie, Janssen, Eli Lilly, Takeda, Ferring, Alfa Sigma,Recordati, Noòs, and Pfizer. Topic editors: Arianna Dal Buono, Olga Maria Nardone, Rocio Ferreiro-Iglesias Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/86980/towards-preventive-ibd-care-from-preclinical-disease-to-prevention-of-progression-and-complications