New Cause of IBD Discovered For First Time
Scientists discover novel biological driver of IBD — new treatments ahead!
Collaborating scientists at UCL, Francis Crick Institute and Imperial College London have discovered a novel biological pathway that is the main driver for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and related conditions.
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Breakthrough Research
This discovery was published early June this year in Nature, with researchers journeying into a ‘gene desert’. The ‘gene desert’ is known as the area of DNA that doesn’t code for proteins, which has previously been associated to IBD, as well as many other autoimmune diseases.
The researchers found the gene desert consists of an ‘enhancer’, which is a section of DNA that can impact neighbouring genes by increasing the amount of proteins they make.
The discovery of this specific enhancer was found to only be active in macrophages, a type of immune cell that is significant in IBD (a condition that causes swelling and irritation of the digestive tract).
This enhancer works by boosting a gene called ETS2 and higher levels of the gene is associated with a higher risk of disease.
