For people living with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), symptoms can become part of daily life in ways that are often invisible to others.
These diseases, which include conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis, can emerge early in adulthood and disrupt aspects of daily life. IBD, which affects around 10 million people globally, is one example. With chronic inflammation and unpredictable flares, the condition illustrates how complex IMIDs can be.
During a fireside chat at the 2025 STAT Summit, Aileen Pangan, M.D., vice president and head of immunology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, discussed how advances in biology, technology, and patient insight are reshaping her company’s work to help people living with these diseases.
“I came to Merck in 2022 because I believed that Merck was committed to building a new immunology therapeutic area, and I was fortunate enough to be given this opportunity to lead this clinical space,” said Pangan. “But more importantly, Merck’s focus on patient needs really enabled us to move into the immunology therapeutic area.”
Confronting the complexities of IBD care
IBD is one area of focus within Merck’s broader work in IMIDs. Despite advances, IBD remains a condition defined by uncertainty for patients and physicians alike. The causes are complex, symptoms can vary dramatically, and what works well for one person may not for another. Pangan explained that currently, determining the right medication often comes down to “trial and error,” and even when symptoms improve, long-term remission isn’t guaranteed.
“Those are two gaps that I’m hoping an understanding of the multiple pathways involved in immune-mediated diseases like IBD could help us address,” said Pangan.
Uncertainty can also take a toll. Flares can be unpredictable and debilitating, affecting everything from nutrition to mental health, forcing patients to make challenging adjustments to their daily lives.
For some patients, when available therapies don’t work, surgery may become the most viable next step — a major intervention that can relieve symptoms, but also carries risks, recovery challenges, and the potential for recurrence. Recent research suggests that roughly one in four people with IBD require surgery within 10 years of diagnosis, underscoring the need for more durable, targeted, less invasive options.
Bridging those gaps doesn’t just mean developing new medicines but rethinking how — and for whom — they’re designed.
A multi-pronged approach to addressing patient care
Addressing the realities for patients with autoimmune disorders requires a deeper understanding of disease biology and a focused effort to improve how therapies are developed and delivered. That’s why Pangan and her team are focused on the goal of improving patient care across immune-mediated diseases.
To drive progress, they’re pursuing a multi-pronged approach across research efforts:
- Novel targets: Pangan stated that the more we understand about these diseases, the more molecular pathways we potentially uncover. This may create opportunities to develop therapies that target the immune-mediated diseases in different ways.
- Combination therapies: Pangan noted that sometimes a single approach isn’t enough. Research aimed at using multiple drugs or addressing multiple targets with one medicine may help achieve stronger, more durable results.
- Precision medicine: Through the integration of genetics, biomarkers, and clinical data, Merck’s research teams are aiming to embed precision medicine across every phase of drug development, starting in early research.
- Patient equity: Innovation may also mean expanding accessibility. That includes designing therapies and delivery options that fit into patients’ day-to-day lives, whether they live far from specialty centers, are juggling demanding schedules, or can’t easily access appointments for treatments that have to be given in a clinic.
For Pangan, that commitment to accessibility and patient-centered design reflects not only Merck’s mission, but also her own experience as a physician.
A clinician’s motivation and the road ahead
Before her work in industry, Pangan practiced as a rheumatologist — a perspective that continues to shape her work. Looking ahead, she expressed optimism about the next wave of novel therapies and combinations. But what excites her most is the potential to reduce guesswork from treatment decisions altogether.
“What’s important as I continue my work in industry is to be able to provide doctors and patients with more options to help meet their needs. Having the tools to take a more personalized approach in how we manage our patients is worth the time and investment.”
For Pangan, this momentum represents more than scientific advancement; it signals a broader shift in how researchers and clinicians are reimagining the future of immune-mediated inflammatory disease care.