Inflammatory bowel disease: recent advances on genetics and innate immunity

The chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are recognized as important causes of gastrointestinal disease in children and adults. Insight into IBD is advancing rapidly owing to a plethora of investigations into intestinal inflammation in animal models, advances in the interrogation of diseases inherited as complex genetic traits, and the development of methods to define the composition of the intestinal microbiota. These advances offer a better understanding of the genetically determined interplay between the commensal microbiota, intestinal cells and the immune system, and the manner in which this interaction might be modified by environmental factors in the pathogenesis of IBD. The present review highlights recent advances in IBD research.