
Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a debilitating disease resulting in high morbidity and severely affect patients' quality of life. Patients with UC will experience periods of remission and flare up. It is a disease affecting the colon, characterized by altered bowel habit, bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss and anaemia. The prevalence of UC is about 200/100,000 in the west compared to 50-60/100,000 in China or Japan. Over the last decade, the prevalence has increased in the East. The cause of UC remains unknown; it is thought to be closely linked to autoimmunity to large bowel mucosal. UC can develop at any age, but peak incidence is between the ages of 20 and 30 years. It can also affect patient's social and psychological wellbeing, if poorly managed. Currently the only way to “cure” the disease is by total colectomy which is not without its risk and complication. The understanding of cytokines and intracellular messenger pathway in UC has led to the discovery of Janus Kinase (JAK) enzymes, which is one of the area of research interest.

Ulcerative Colitis (UC) is a debilitating disease resulting in high morbidity and severely affect patients' quality of life. Patients with UC will experience periods of remission and flare up. It is a disease affecting the colon, characterized by altered bowel habit, bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss and anaemia. The prevalence of UC is about 200/100,000 in the west compared to 50-60/100,000 in China or Japan. Over the last decade, the prevalence has increased in the East. The cause of UC remains unknown; it is thought to be closely linked to autoimmunity to large bowel mucosal. UC can develop at any age, but peak incidence is between the ages of 20 and 30 years. It can also affect patient's social and psychological wellbeing, if poorly managed. Currently the only way to “cure” the disease is by total colectomy which is not without its risk and complication. The understanding of cytokines and intracellular messenger pathway in UC has led to the discovery of Janus Kinase (JAK) enzymes, which is one of the area of research interest.





Alopecia Areata (AA) is an immuno-inflammatory disease where body T cells attack the hair follicles resulting in transient non-scarring hair loss, which may last for a few weeks to decades. Alopecia Areata refers to single or multiple areas of demarcated, patchy hair loss. It is known that AA patients have a higher incidence of depression. AA affects about 2% of the population in their lifetime globally. The incidence in China is 0.27% and there are about 4 million people suffered from AA in China. 70-80% of subjects are 40 years of age or below and the incidence does not indiscriminate by sexes or ethnicity. It is thought to be due to a mixture of stress, deranged immune system and genetic predisposition. It was also found that patients with longer duration of the disease have less favorable prognosis. Currently there is no treatment that can produce permanent reversal of hair growth. There also are increasing clinical evidences that suggest JAK inhibitors could be a potential treatment for alopecia areata.

Alopecia Areata (AA) is an immuno-inflammatory disease where body T cells attack the hair follicles resulting in transient non-scarring hair loss, which may last for a few weeks to decades. Alopecia Areata refers to single or multiple areas of demarcated, patchy hair loss. It is known that AA patients have a higher incidence of depression. AA affects about 2% of the population in their lifetime globally. The incidence in China is 0.27% and there are about 4 million people suffered from AA in China. 70-80% of subjects are 40 years of age or below and the incidence does not indiscriminate by sexes or ethnicity. It is thought to be due to a mixture of stress, deranged immune system and genetic predisposition. It was also found that patients with longer duration of the disease have less favorable prognosis. Currently there is no treatment that can produce permanent reversal of hair growth. There also are increasing clinical evidences that suggest JAK inhibitors could be a potential treatment for alopecia areata.



