The project's goal is to isolate new treatment targets for the disease. To date, no one has been able to determine exactly what causes Crohn's disease, and this has limited the ability of researchers to develop successful treatments. We believe genetics play a role, and with this grant we hope to pinpoint these genetic factors.
CD is one of a group of disorders that cause inflammation in the intestines.
It usually occurs in the lower part of the small intestine but can affect any part of the digestive tract. Inflammation may extend deep into the lining of the affected organ and cause ulcers. Symptoms of CD are abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss and fever. Unlike any used in the past, this model, using a specially bred strain of mice, will spontaneously develop CD without any outside manipulation. One of the difficulties in studying Crohn's Disease has been the lack of an appropriate animal model.