In a groundbreaking study, researchers from the United Kingdom identified a major cause of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which encompasses Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The global prevalence of these autoimmune conditions has been on the rise, with an estimated 6.8 million people affected in 2017, up from 3.7 million in 1990, making new discoveries about their origins increasingly crucial. The research, conducted at the Francis Crick Institute in London, revolves around a gene called ETS2 and its associated “enhancer” section of DNA that boosts its expression, with higher levels of ETS2 correlating to an increased risk of developing IBD. The findings also confirm the involvement of other genes previously linked to the disease, as they are part of the ETS2 pathway. Lead researcher James Lee described the discovery as a significant breakthrough, stating, “What we have found is one of the very central pathways that goes wrong when people get inflammatory bowel disease and this has been something of a holy grail.”
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Breakthrough in Understanding Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
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