Recent advances in inflammatory bowel disease

The last decade has seen tremendous advances in our knowledge, which has le d to genuine improvements in our understanding of the pathogenesis and mana gement of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The combined power of cellular and molecular biology has begun to unveil the enigmas of IBD, and, conseque ntly, substantial gains have been made in the treatment of IBD. Refinements in drug formulation have provided the ability to target distinct sites of delivery, while enhancing the safety and efficacy of older agents. Simultan eous progress in biotechnology has fostered the development of new agents t hat strategically target pivotal processes in disease pathogenesis. This ar ticle addresses our current understanding of the pathogenesis of IBD, inclu ding the latest developments in animal models and covers agents currently u sed in the treatment of IBD as well as emerging therapies.