Therapeutic monitoring of TNF-alpha inhibitors in Crohn’s disease (LISA-TRACKER ELISA kits, IDKmonitor ELISA kits, and Promonitor ELISA kits)

Further research into the analytical and clinical validity of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits (LISA-TRACKER, IDKmonitor and Promonitor) is recommended, specifically on:
- the best methods to measure tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha-inhibitor levels in the presence of antibodies to TNF-alpha inhibitors
- developing primary reference standards
- the accuracy for predicting clinical state
- clinically meaningful thresholds.

Further research is recommended on clinical outcomes associated with using the ELISA kits (LISA-TRACKER, IDKmonitor and Promonitor) in people whose Crohn's disease is losing response to a TNF-alpha inhibitor. This could be through a prospective study, for local audit, or for submission to a registry. (The IBD Registry is being adapted to receive data on TNF-alpha inhibitor levels and antibodies against TNF-alpha inhibitors).

Further research is recommended on clinical outcomes associated with using the ELISA kits (LISA-TRACKER, IDKmonitor and Promonitor) to monitor TNF-alpha-inhibitor levels and antibodies to a TNF-alpha inhibitor in people with Crohn's disease whose disease responds to treatment with TNF-alpha inhibitors. This should be evaluated using prospective studies.