Significant new advances have been made recently in the understanding of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathology at the molecular biology level. This Biochemical Society Focused Meeting has been planned to cover some of the major issues currently being considered.

Topics that have been selected relate to; the identification of IBD susceptibility genes and disease markers; innate and adaptive immune systems in IBD pathogenesis; the function of the epithelial protective barrier; interactions of the enteric bacterial flora with the human host leading to normal and pathological regulation of the immune system and links with nutrition and probiotics and finally the value of mouse models of ulcerative colitis in examining molecular disease mechanisms.