Centre for Molecular Medicine
Inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) refers to two inflammatory syndromes, Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), in which the lesions are principally localised to the gastrointestinal tract. Pathologically, CD is characterised by transmural inflammation that is frequently granulomatous. It can occur at any point throughout the alimentary canal, most frequently in the ileal and/or colonic regions but usually sparing the rectum. The lesions are typically multiple, discrete and well-demarcated, separated by areas of normal mucosa creating the characteristic "skip lesion" appearance. In UC, the inflammation is more superficial, continuous and almost universally starts at the rectum and extends proximally. Apart from backwash ileitis, inflammation in UC is confined to the large bowel. Granuloma formation is not a feature of UC. Genetic and environmental factors are both implicated in the aetiology of CD and UC. The incidence for the two diseases currently stands at 1:500 and is rising in the Western population. The onset of disease is generally in the young and is characterised by frequent exacerbations, resulting in chronic ill-health. Our laboratory has recently made a major advance in understanding the pathogenesis of these conditions, which could lead to an improvement in diagnosis, and possibly also to treatment, of these two chronic diseases (Marks et al 2006 Lancet 367:668-678). In collaboration with the Gastroenterology Department at University College Hospital we are currently involved in an intense program of research looking into the innate immune responses in CD and UC patients. The research combines in vivo experimentation as well as in vitro analysis of peripheral blood samples and histological specimens. Inflammatory research team 1.Professor Anthony Segal 2.Dr Ann Walker 3.Dr Andrew Smith 4.Dr Farooq Rahman 5.Dr Bu'Hussain Hayee 6.Dr Daniel Marks 7.Ms Penny Harrison 8.Ms Jane Tempero