The results are an important step towards better management and treatment of this devastating condition.
The results are an important step towards better management and treatment of this devastating condition.
The research from the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Sanger Institute is part of the global Human Cell Atlas initiative to map every cell type in the human body. The findings reveal intricate cellular mechanisms of how the gut develops.
Crohn’s Disease is a type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease affecting around one in every 650 people in the UK. Incidence has increased dramatically in recent decades, especially in children - who can suffer very aggressive symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhoea and fatigue. This lifelong condition can have major life implications; the cause is not understood, treatments often don’t work, and there is no cure.
“Crohn’s Disease can be particularly aggressive and more treatment-resistant in children, so there’s a real need to understand the condition when it affects them and perhaps come up with childhood-specific treatments,” said Dr Matthias Zilbauer in the Department of Paediatrics at the University of Cambridge and honorary consultant in paediatric gastroenterology at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, who led the study.
Read more at: University of Cambridge
Emerging intestinal villi with green stem cells supporting their growth (Photo Credit: Kenny Roberts & Sophie Pritchard, Wellcome Sanger Institute)
