Understanding the role of IL-13 in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Summary

Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that differ in the type of damage and location of the gut that is affected. This study proposal aims to understand whether individuals are at an increased or decreased risk of developing Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, by studying a protein called Interleukin 13 (IL-13). This protein plays an important role in the body’s immune response and is commonly involved in asthma and allergy, but its role in IBD is not well understood.

IL-13 contributes to wound healing and gut health, but can also promote tissue damage under conditions of inflammation. Initial information suggests that genetic changes in the IL-13 gene could change the risk of developing Crohn’s disease.  Studying patient genetics could confirm these observations and help us understand how this pathway is involved in IBD, which may lead to new treatments for the disease. The IBD BioResource offers an opportunity to study the link between genetics and IBD disease in a large group of participants.