Kim Mi-jin, Kwon Ah-young, and Kim Yoon-ji, professors at Samsung Medical Center, and Kim Sun-young from Kyunghee University. /Courtesy of Samsung Medical Center

Domestic researchers have uncovered the relationship between pediatric Crohn's disease and blood cytokine levels. Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes abdominal pain and diarrhea. Cytokines are signaling substances that trigger inflammation. This research is expected to allow for more precise treatment of Crohn's disease by examining the cytokine concentrations in the blood of pediatric patients.

Samsung Medical Center announced on the 12th that researchers from the pediatrics departments, including Professors Kim Mi-jin, Choi Yeon-ho, Kwon Yi-young, and Kim Yoon-ji, as well as Professor Kim Sun-young from Kyunghee University Hospital, discovered that "as the concentration of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) cytokine increases, the effectiveness of infliximab in treating Crohn's disease decreases." The results of this research were published last month in the international journal 'Scientific Reports.'

Infliximab is a rheumatoid arthritis treatment developed by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) under the brand name Remicade. The researchers tracked the effects after treating 26 Crohn's disease patients under 19 years of age (average age 14.9 years) with infliximab for one year. The results showed that as TNF-α levels increased among various cytokines, the effectiveness of infliximab decreased.

The research team judged that if the blood TNF-α concentration exceeds 9.40 pg/mL, the likelihood of failing to achieve remission (a state of minimal disease) is high. The prediction accuracy is up to 80.2%. This is significant as it indicates that treatment responses can be detected through blood TNF-α concentrations in pediatric Crohn's disease patients.

Professor Kim Mi-jin said, "This research increases the potential for precision in treating pediatric inflammatory bowel disease." Professor Kwon Yi-young noted, "We will work to hasten the day when pediatric patients can enjoy a free and healthy life."

References

Scientific Reports (2025) : https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-89578-w