Inflammatory Bowel Disease:
- An autoimmune disease, such as IBD, encompasses Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
- Presently it affects approximately 5% of the world’s population and one in every 10 people in the United Kingdom.
- Research published in Nature has uncovered a new biochemical pathway critical in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- It reveals that an enhancer (a section of DNA that is like a volume dial for nearby genes) in a ‘gene desert’ (an area of DNA that doesn’t code for proteins) linked to IBD activates the ETS2 gene in macrophages, which are immune cells pivotal to IBD.
- Elevated ETS2 levels correlate with increased disease risk and drive inflammatory functions in macrophages that cause tissue damage.
- Although direct ETS2 inhibitors are unavailable, the team identified MEK inhibitors, existing drugs for other conditions, as potential indirect suppressors of ETS2’s inflammatory effects.
- These inhibitors successfully reduced inflammation in IBD patient gut samples.
- Researchers are now exploring targeted delivery of MEK inhibitors to minimize side effects. This discovery could lead to more effective IBD treatments, addressing a pressing need as IBD prevalence rises.
Dig Deeper: What is gene desert and its functions?
