More than 200 genetic variations can affect your risk of developing Crohn's or Colitis. However, scientists have been unable to figure out what these variations do, or why they contribute to someone developing Crohn's or Colitis. This type of research is very technically difficult, and until recently researchers could only study one genetic variation at a time, making progress very slow.
James and his team have overcome this by using a new technique to simultaneously test the effect of many genetic variations directly in immune cells. This gave them a really powerful tool to test their ideas about what causes the damaging inflammation seen in Crohn's and Colitis. Importantly, in their recent publication back in April they describe how one particular genetic variation leads to uncontrolled inflammation, which explains why this genetic variation predisposes people to immune-mediated diseases like Crohn's and Colitis.
This work has opened the door to better understanding of the biology underlying inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). The team hope that this will help identify new therapeutic targets and, in turn, speed up the development of better treatments. Indeed, James and his team have developed partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to take this idea one step closer to patients.