Ulcerative Colitis

"So what I tried to do in this article is to point out that the continued presence of these organisms in human society may actually be beneficial to the host and that is why they are tolerated by the immune system." It's an intriguing idea that requires more research in animal models.

"We don't know what to look for per se," he said.

"But we can guess that since a persistently infected host is constantly having its immune system stimulated and refined, that may provide it with resistance to other things." He wondered whether, as seen with H.

pylori, humans are also unknowingly causing the disappearance of other things that have been with us for all of our evolution, and that might play some role in our health.

"Could it be this that is responsible for some of the things we see such as the failure of the immune system to act appropriately?

" he asked.

The only answer to date is: "It's complicated." Instead of a persistent infection, some people get very ill from organisms such as Salmonella, H.

pylori, tuberculosis and meningitis.

How the immune system responds differently in individuals demands further research.

Falkow credits his colleagues for providing the fodder for his essay.

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IMS represents Inotek's the second compound to have entered clinical trials The company is planning to move the compound into phase II trials toward the end of 2006.

IMS is a novel analogue of inosine, an endogenous purine and a natural by-product of adenosine metabolism.

Inotek discovered the unique, anti-inflammatory properties of inosine, although inosine itself is not a candidate for drug development due to its rapid metabolism.

IMS was specifically developed to both take advantage of the anti-inflammatory properties of inosine and to avoid its metabolic pathway.

"In this regard, IMS represents a potentially exciting and novel approach to inflammatory bowel disease and many other chronic inflammatory conditions," the company said.

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