The study, by researchers from the University of Cambridge and Harvard University, was published in the journal Nature.
“If we are able to break down Crohn’s disease into subsets by understanding the underlying mechanisms, which we have done here, we hope to develop much more targeted, effective treatments,” said Professor Arthur Kaser from the University of Cambridge, one of the lead authors of the paper. “The discovery of the Paneth cells’ role in inflammation of the bowel also raises the possibility of entirely novel therapeutic approaches.”
The researchers also identified the mechanism by which defects in autophagy, the breakdown and recycling of unnecessary cellular components in the body, can lead to Crohn’s disease.
Read the full story
Image: Micrograph of intestinal crypts with Paneth cells at the crypt bottom=
Credit: Professor Arthur Kaser
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
_____________________________________________