24 Figure 2 | Graphical overview of the outline of this thesis. Overall, the aim of this thesis is to discover and apply novel biomarker signatures in patients with IBD, and simultaneously assessing their utility in relation to clinically relevant outcomes for patients with IBD and their potential to be therapeutically modulated (e.g. through dietary- or drug-based interventions). Distinct biological systems and -mechanisms were selected for biomarker exploration. In Part I, (adaptive) immunity and immunological interactions with the gut microbiota gain central attention. In Part II, the search for biomarkers is focused on inflammation, gut permeability and intestinal fibrosis. In Part III, oxidative stress and redox signalling as well as biomarkers of iron metabolism are investigated. Part IV covers studies involving both nutritional and drug-based (biological) interventions, where the (predictive) potential of several of the explored biomarkers and their dynamics upon therapeutic intervention will be assessed. In the final part of this thesis (Part V), the scientific and clinical sequelae of the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic are discussed in the context of biomarkers and IBD. To summarize, both targeted and untargeted approaches are adopted in this thesis to explore biomarker signatures of distinct pathophysiological processes and biological systems in the context of IBD. Chapter 1
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