Jun 07, 2024 09:00:00Researchers discover the main cause of inflammatory bowel disease, which affects at least 7 million people worldwideInflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), which includes the designated intractable diseasesCrohn's disease and, is said to affect one in ten people in the UK and approximately 5% of the total population worldwide. Until now, the cause of IBD was unknown, but the Francis Crick Institute and others have revealed that they have succeeded in identifying the biological pathway that is the main cause of IBD. The enhancer discovered by the research group was only active in macrophages, which play a major role in inflammatory responses, and enhanced the function of a gene called 'ETS2.' Furthermore, the research group demonstrated that many genes previously believed to be associated with IBD are part of the ETS2 pathway, and that the ETS2 pathway is a major cause of IBD. When actually tested, it was found that the MEK inhibitor not only suppressed macrophages, but also the inflammatory response in intestinal samples from IBD patients.

Source: The Guardian June 07, 2024 07:26 UTC