Lab Information
Waqqas Afif (MD/MSc)
InvestigatorClinical Research Unit
Department of Medicine (McGill)
Research Profile
Keywords
Inflammatory bowel disease • Crohn's disease • ulcerative colitis • biologic medications • therapeutic drug monitoringResearch Interests
My research focuses on the safety and efficiency of biologic medications in the treatment of IBD. I am interested in the use of therapeutic drug monitoring to optimize the treatment of IBD patients on biologic medications.Team Members
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Latest Publications
- Lichtenstein, G. R., Allegretti, J. R., Rubin, D. T., Magro, F., Bressler, B., Panés, J., Afif, W., Samaan, M. A., Ye, B. D., Yarandi, S., Germinaro, M., Shipitofsky, N., Miao, Y., Zhang, H., Dignass, A., Sands, B. E., Hisamatsu, T. & Peyrin-Biroulet, L. (2026). Efficacy and Safety of Guselkumab for Ulcerative Colitis Through Week 92 of the QUASAR Long-Term Extension Study. The American journal of gastroenterology.
- Shahrokh, D. K., Vender, R. B., Lynde, C. W., Rao, J., Afif, W., Steinhart, A. H., Narula, N., Sutton, E., Thorne, C. & Bessette, L. (2026). Evaluation of Injection Site Pain and Adherence in Patients Transitioning from a High to Low Volume Adalimumab Formulation (AVT02, Simlandi®) Across Multiple Indications (EASE PAIN). Rheumatology and therapy.
- Niyigena, E., Hoffert, Y., Afif, W., Pedicelli, A., Roblin, X., Hanžel, J., Papamichael, K., Kobayashi, T., Elens, L., Wang, Z., Ferrante, M., Verstockt, B., Vermeire, S., Vande Casteele, N., Battat, R. & Dreesen, E. (2026). Personalized infliximab rescue therapy to maximize colectomy-free survival in patients with acute severe ulcerative colitis. Journal of Crohn's & colitis, vol. 20.
- Moura, C. S., Etingin, A., Lukusa, L., Singh, H., Narula, N., Targownik, L. E., Leung, Y., Zezos, P., Polewiczowska-Nowak, B., Afif, W. & Bernatsky, S. (2026). Comparable remission and health care use in real-world inflammatory bowel disease patients initiating originator biologics vs biosimilars. World journal of gastroenterology, vol. 32, p. 114580.
- Kritzinger, J., Candel, I., Kotrri, G., Nadeem, H., Afif, W., Bitton, A., Wild, G., Bessissow, T. & Lakatos, P. L. (2025). Clinical outcomes and drug sustainability after non-medical switch from ustekinumab originator to biosimilars in inflammatory bowel disease. World journal of gastroenterology, vol. 31, p. 114355.
- Avinashi, V., Gupta, M., Payne, B. A., Amhaz, H., Temirova, A. T., Afif, W., Ashok, D., Barkey, J., Burnett, D., Bush, J. W., Cameron, S., Carr, S., El Demellawy, D., Erdle, S., Huynh, H. Q., Griffin, J., Grover, S. C., Grzywacz, K., Jeimy, S., Ko, H. H., Lacuesta, G., Marcon, M., Mayrand, S., Petropolis, H., Rodrigues, D., Sherlock, M., Song, C., Tardio, N., Vander Leek, T. K., Vurzinger, M., Williams, B., Xenodemetroupolous, T., Ma, C. & Chan, E. S. (2025). Recommendations for the diagnosis and management of eosinophilic esophagitis in adults and children in Canada: a Delphi consensus project. Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, vol. 8, p. 207-227.
- Oketola, B., Bernatsky, S., Lukusa, L., Moura, C. S., Neville, A., Leung, Y., Narula, N., Afif, W., Birck, M. G., Zezos, P., Singh, H. & Canadian IBD Research Consortium (2026). Drug Discontinuation and Persistent Symptoms Among Initiators of Bio-Originator and Biosimilar anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Drugs in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Real-World Contemporary Data From the CAnadian Network for Advanced Interdisciplinary Methods/CIRC Registry. Gastro hep advances, vol. 5, p. 100821.
- Pedicelli, A., Bessissow, T. & Afif, W. (2025). Personalizing IL-23 Inhibitor Therapy in IBD: Current Evidence and Future Directions in Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Dose Optimization. Journal of clinical medicine, vol. 14.
- Avinashi, V., Gupta, M., Payne, B. A., Amhaz, H., Temirova, A. T., Afif, W., Ashok, D., Barkey, J., Burnett, D., Bush, J. W., Cameron, S., Carr, S., Demellawy, D. E., Erdle, S., Huynh, H. Q., Griffin, J., Grover, S. C., Grzywacz, K., Jeimy, S., Ko, H. H., Lacuesta, G., Marcon, M., Mayrand, S., Petropolis, H., Rodrigues, D., Sherlock, M., Song, C., Tardio, N., Vander Leek, T. K., Vurzinger, M., Williams, B. A., Xenodemetropoulos, T., Ma, C. & Chan, E. S. (2025). Recommendations for the diagnosis and management of eosinophilic esophagitis in adults and children in Canada: a Delphi consensus project. Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vol. 21, p. 47.
- Ongay, J., Candel, I., Bitton, A., Afif, W., Bessissow, T. & Lakatos, P. L. (2025). Case Report: Secukinumab (Interleukin-17 Inhibitor) and Ulcerative Colitis Flare - the Double-Edged Sword. Case reports in gastroenterology, vol. 19, p. 637-643.
See also
