New genetic links for Crohn’s, colitis
Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) — inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract — have puzzled the scientific community for decades. Ten years ago, researchers recognized that both genes and environment contributed to these diseases but knew little about precisely how and why illness occurred. Today, researchers from across the CD and UC communities have come together to share raw data as well as newly collected genetic information to dissect the biology of a group of conditions that affect millions of people worldwide. Their research centers on the two diseases, which are collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and suggests a fundamental connection between risk of IBD and genes involved in other immune-related diseases and the immune system’s response to pathogens. The work by researchers from the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Yale School of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and dozens of other...