Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory diseases affecting the gastro-intestinal tract and include ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD). Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease affect over 0.3% of the population, that is, over 1.1 million people in the United States and over 2.2 million in Europe. People with IBD experience many symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhoea, indigestion, bloating, blood in the stools, mucus and extreme urgency.  Symptoms unrelated to the gut also occur and include joints’ pain or inflammation, eye inflammation and skin disorders. Weight loss and anaemia (due to malabsoption and or blood loss) can also occur, and failure to thrive (FTT) in children is common.

Current medical treatment for IBD (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease) include anti-inflammatory agents (such as mesalamine), and immune-suppressant drugs. These include cortico-steroids used to treat acute flares,and immunomodulators, such as azathiopurine, 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) or methotrexate, as well as biologic drugs such as infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira), vedolizumab (Entyvio) and ustekinumab (Stelara), all of which are taken on a regular scheduled basis for long periods. The purpose of these drugs is to control the intestinal inflammation but these drugs also portend a potential for some serious side effect and long-term risks.  In some more refractory cases, patients may undergo surgery to remove the affected part of the intestines.