Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an ongoing or chronic health problem that causes inflammation and swelling in the digestive tract. The irritation causes bleeding sores called ulcers to form along the digestive tract. This in turn can cause crampy, abdominal pain and severe bloody diarrhea.

What is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative colitis is a chronic condition that affects the large intestines, particularly the colon. It is classified as one of the two inflammatory bowel diseases along with Crohn’s disease.

Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs)

Dysbiosis and the Microbiome

FODMAP Research

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Colorectal Cancer

Ulcerative Colitis Causes

Mesentery: a new organ?

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in Pregnancy

Genetics of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Latest Inflammatory Bowel Disease News and Research

Sting signaling stimulates vital immune defenses to actively suppress aggressive tumor growth

A new review brings attention to the STING pathway as a critical regulator in both colitis and colon cancer, highlighting its complex and often opposing roles in inflammation and tumor development. The findings underscore how this key component of the innate immune system can act as both a driver of disease and a protective mechanism, depending on biological context.

25 May 2026

RNA modifications shape gut immunity and intestinal macrophage function

A new perspective on gut immunity is highlighting the powerful role of RNA modifications in shaping how the body maintains balance in the digestive system.

24 May 2026

First-of-its-kind pregnancy hormone test reveals why female IBD patients face severe symptom flares

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which comprises the inflammatory conditions Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, affects about 1.6 million Americans, many of whom cannot be effectively treated.

21 May 2026

Immune-regulating molecule may offer new treatment approach for IBD patients

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified an immune-regulating molecule that may help explain why some patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, do not respond to commonly used therapies.

13 May 2026

Intestinal stem cells identified as active defenders against Salmonella infection

Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Weizmann Institute of Science have identified a previously unrecognized defense mechanism in the intestine, showing that intestinal stem cells can actively respond to Salmonella infection and help protect the gut from bacterial invasion.

12 May 2026

Reverse ecology approach reveals hidden complexity in gut microbiome

The human gut harbors a complex ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms (the microbiome), which influences digestion, the immune system and metabolism.

7 May 2026

New blood test predicts illness progression and treatment response

Scientists are developing a test which could one day be used to predict how a patient's illness will progress, and even how well they will respond to treatment.

6 May 2026

New genetic tool tracks how bacteria spread between people

The research, published on April 24th, 2026, in Nature Microbiology, describes how the new tool, called TRAnsmision Clustering of Strains (TRACS), uses genomics to distinguish between closely related bacterial strains.

4 May 2026

Sickness behavior may be a coordinated whole organism immune strategy

Symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, altered sleep, and social withdrawal are often treated as inconvenient side effects of infection.

30 Apr 2026

GLP-1 drugs promise wider health benefits, but experts urge caution on use

GLP-1 receptor agonists are reshaping care for type 2 diabetes, obesity, chronic kidney disease, and obstructive sleep apnea, with evidence for glycemic, weight-loss, cardiovascular, and renal benefits. The review urges nurse practitioners to balance expanding clinical promise with careful prescribing, patient education, monitoring, access advocacy, and vigilance for gastrointestinal, endocrine, pregnancy-related, and rare serious risks.

27 Apr 2026

Repurposed cancer drugs offer potential breakthrough for Crohn’s disease treatment

University of Houston biologists have contributed to a potential breakthrough in treating Crohn's disease by shifting the clinical focus from symptom management to addressing a primary underlying cause of the condition.

27 Apr 2026

Stem cell model identifies promising therapy for inflammatory bowel disease

A new study published today in Stem Cell Reports demonstrates how a human stem cell-derived model of the intestine can be used to identify potential therapies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), highlighting glycyrrhizin as a promising candidate for reducing intestinal inflammation and cell death.

17 Apr 2026

EV-RNAs show promise for IBD diagnosis and treatment

A research team led by Sir Run-Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, has published a comprehensive review in ExRNA that sorts out the diverse roles of extracellular vesicle-associated RNAs (EV-RNAs) in the development and progression of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

10 Apr 2026

IBS diagnosis gaps persist across racial and gender groups in the U.S.

A national survey study led by UCLA Health and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found significant disparities in how irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS, is diagnosed across sex and racial groups in the U.S., with men and Black patients considerably less likely than women and white patients to receive a formal diagnosis.

9 Apr 2026

Gut microbiota regulates intestinal epithelial cell function and plasticity

A research team led by scientists from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo, Brazil, has made significant progress in understanding the relationship between gut microbiota and intestinal cells.

7 Apr 2026

Chronic colitis reshapes colon stem cells in ways that can accelerate tumour growth

Researchers showed that chronic colitis leaves a long-lasting epigenetic memory in colonic stem cells, persisting for more than 100 days after recovery in mice. This memory is marked by durable AP-1-linked chromatin changes and later amplifies tumour outgrowth after oncogenic mutation.

29 Mar 2026