How IBD Treatment Targets Are Shifting: Expert Insights from Dr. Peter Bossuyt

In this expert lecture, Dr. Peter Bossuyt, MD, PhD, shares his perspective on how inflammatory bowel disease management is evolving toward a more structured and ambitious treat-to-target approach. Dr. Bossuyt is a gastroenterologist at the IBD Clinic of Imelda General Hospital in Bonheiden, Belgium, and co-director of the Imelda GI Clinical Research Centre. His research focuses on IBD clinical trials and the definition of endoscopic and imaging targets in IBD. He is also the current president of the Belgian IBD Research and Development Group and an editorial board member of the Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis. Using a real-world ulcerative colitis case, Dr. Bossuyt explains why modern IBD care is moving beyond symptom control toward planned monitoring, standardized assessment, biomarker tracking, endoscopic evaluation, and timely treatment optimization. The lecture highlights several key questions in current IBD practice: ●How should clinicians apply treat-to-target strategies in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease? ●Why does endoscopic healing remain such an important long-term target? ●When should clinicians reassess disease activity using biomarkers, endoscopy, or imaging? ●Are current treatment targets deep enough, or should the field move toward more ambitious endpoints? ●How may newer therapies, including IL-23 inhibitors and JAK inhibitors, support these shifting goals? Dr. Bossuyt also discusses how treatment targets are expanding to include not only mucosal healing, but also histologic remission, transmural healing, bowel urgency, nocturnal bowel movements, and quality of life. A key takeaway from the lecture: in IBD management, planning is everything. A structured care pathway, clear reassessment points, and standardized scoring can help clinicians make more consistent and informed treatment decisions. This video is relevant for gastroenterologists, IBD specialists, clinical researchers, medical affairs professionals, and healthcare stakeholders following the evolution of IBD treatment strategies. Dr. Peter Bossuyt, MD, PhD, is a gastroenterologist at the IBD Clinic of Imelda General Hospital in Belgium and co-director of the Imelda GI Clinical Research Centre. His work focuses on IBD clinical trials and the use of endoscopic and imaging targets to guide disease monitoring and treatment decisions. #medj #IBD #UlcerativeColitis #CrohnsDisease #Gastroenterology #TreatToTarget #EndoscopicHealing #IBDCare #MedicalEducation #IL23 #JAKInhibitors #ECCO