Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center have found a faulty genetic signaling process that may help explain how Crohn’s disease develops. Researchers found that mutant forms of the gene that predispose people to Crohn’s disease fail to trigger this signaling process, causing an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, according to a study published in today’s issue of Current Biology. Further research on this process could lead to new ways to treat the disease or prevent it from developing, said Dr. Derek W. Abbott, a clinical fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the study’s lead author.
