Discovery Could Improve Understanding Of Ulcerative Colitis, Lead To New Therapies
An international team led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers has identified genetic markers associated with risk for ulcerative colitis. The findings, which appear as an advance online publication of the journal Nature Genetics, bring researchers closer to understanding the biological pathways involved in the disease and may lead to the development of new treatments that specifically target them.

GeneThera Will Test Milk And Dairy Products Due To Evidence Linking Johne's Disease To IBS And Crohn's Disease
GeneThera, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: GTHR) announced it will begin testing of raw and processed milk and dairy products using its Real Time PCR test for Johne's disease through its Wheat Ridge, CO laboratory.

Vital Clues About Cause Of Bowel Disease
Scientists have uncovered vital clues about how to treat serious bowel disorders by studying the behaviour of cells in the colon. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh believe a chemical messenger that is essential for developing a baby's gut in the womb could hold the key to new treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition which affects 1 in 250 people in the UK.

New Data Suggest CIMZIA(R) (Certolizumab Pegol) Active in Treating Moderate to Severe Crohn's Patients With Fistulizing Disease
Data presented this week by UCB at Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases 2008, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation's Clinical & Research Conference, demonstrated more than half (53.6%) of those moderate to severe Crohn's disease patients who had open fistulas at baseline had closure of fistulas by Week 26 following short-term induction therapy with CIMZIA(R) (certolizumab pegol) - the only PEGylated anti-TNFa (Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha).

Musculoskeletal Center Wins $2.2 Million For Drug Safety
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) has won a $2.2 million federal grant to study the risks and benefits of a newer class of medicines called biologics. These are genetically engineered therapies that target the immune system of patients who have rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders.

Crohn's Disease Surgeries Make Steady Advances
Thousands of Americans suffering from the chronic inflammatory bowel condition known as Crohn's disease are leading longer, healthier lives due to innovative new surgeries, according to experts at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Prometheus Presents New Clinical Insights Into Diagnosis Of Crohn's Disease In Children From Analysis Of PROMETHEUS(R) IBD Serology 7 Test Results
Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, announced new findings regarding the correlation between serologic markers and the diagnostic predictions of children with Crohn's disease following an analysis of PROMETHEUS(R) IBD Serology 7 test results.

Adalimumab May Reduce Health-Care Costs For Crohn's Disease Patients
Additional study shows further research needed on 5-ASA's chemopreventative role in ulcerative colitis Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term that refers to both ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). IBD occurs most frequently in people in their late teens and twenties. There have been cases in children as young as two years old and in older adults in their seventies and eighties; men and women have an equal chance of getting the disease.

A Faster Test For The Food Protein That Triggers Celiac Disease - Analytical Chemistry Journal
Researchers in Spain and the United Kingdom are reporting development of a faster test for identifying the food protein that triggers celiac disease, a difficult-to-diagnose digestive disease involving the inability to digest protein called gluten that occurs in wheat, oats, rye, and barley. The finding could help millions of people avoid diarrhea, bloating, and other symptoms that occur when they unknowingly eat foods containing gluten.

Philips' Intelligent Pill Targets Drug Development And Treatment For Digestive Tract Diseases
At this week's opening of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition (Atlanta, USA, November 16-20, 2008) Philips Research will announce its new intelligent pill technology "iPill", targeted at assisting drug development and enabling new therapies for debilitating and life-threatening digestive tract disorders such as Crohn's disease, colitis and colon cancer.

Abbott's HUMIRA® (adalimumab) Data Shows Fistula Healing For Up To Three Years In Patients With Moderate To Severe Crohn's Disease
New data showed that Abbott's (NYSE: ABT) HUMIRA® (adalimumab) provided long-term treatment of fistulas, with more than half of patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease experiencing fistula healing at three years, according to clinical research presented today at the United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW) congress in Vienna.

Newly Discovered Immune Cell May Help Those With Crohn's And Colitis
The tonsils and lymphoid tissues in the intestinal tract that help protect the body from external pathogens are the home base of a rare immune cell newly identified by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The researchers indicate that the immune cells could have a therapeutic role in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Crohn's Disease - Neovacs Begins A Phase I/II Clinical Trial With Candidate TNFα-kinoid, First Phase I/II Human Study Of A Kinoid
Neovacs, a leading biotechnology company in the development of anti-cytokine and anti-protein viral regulation therapeutic vaccines to treat certain cancers and inflammatory diseases, announced that it had begun a phase I/II clinical study at three study centres in South Africa with the candidate TNFα-kinoid, a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of TNFα dependent auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease and psoriasis.

Remicade(R) (Infliximab) Is More Likely To Induce Steroid-Free Remission And Mucosal Healing Compared With Azathioprine
Data presented today at the United European Gastroenterology Week Congress (UEGW) show that a significantly greater proportion of patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease experienced steroid-free remission and mucosal healing when receiving Remicade(R) (infliximab), either in combination with azathioprine or as monotherapy, compared to patients receiving azathioprine alone.

HUMIRA(R) (adalimumab) Data Shows Fistula Healing For Up To 3 Years In Patients With Moderate To Severe Crohn's Disease
New data showed that Abbott's HUMIRA® (adalimumab) provided long-term treatment of fistulas, with more than half of patients with moderate to severe Crohn's disease experiencing fistula healing at three years, according to clinical research presented today at the United European Gastroenterology Week (UEGW) congress in Vienna.