The Innate Immune System and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The study includes individuals with ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and healthy controls. The purpose of this study is to examine the innate immune system (IIS) by exposing peripheral blood monocytes to various ligands relevant for stimulation of the IIS and study the immune response. Colonic mucosal samples are examined to find gene expression patterns which may distinguish the two forms of disease from each other and from healthy controls. The hypothesis is that the innate immune system has responses unique for the disease states, and that the diseases may be differentiated by examination of gene expression patterns in mucosal biopsies.