Researchers in the UK appear to have discovered a pivotal genetic cause of inflammatory bowel disease. In a new study Wednesday, the team found evidence of a specific genetic flaw that seems to play a key role in driving immune cells to attack the guts of those with IBD—a flaw found in nearly all the cases they studied. The discovery could lead to new and existing treatments being repurposed for IBD, the authors say.
Inflammatory bowel disease is a debilitating and complex . The two main types of IBD are known as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, both of which are characterized by damaging inflammation along the digestive tract. Symptoms tend to come and go as flare-ups and include abdominal pain, fatigue, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and weight loss.
The root cause of IBD is a dysfunctional immune system that chronically harms the gut. But the exact reasons why this happens are still unclear and might vary from person to person. Genetics are thought to be an important factor, though, since IBD can run in families.
The new research was led by scientists from the Francis Crick Institute, as well as the University College London and the Imperial College London. They looked closer at a particular region of our genetic code that has been previously linked to IBD and autoimmune disorders. This region is one of many along our genome known as a gene desert, filled with genes that don’t actually code for any proteins.
While scientists once thought these deserts contained no.