A study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has uncovered key molecular pathways behind the disruption of the gut’s delicate balance of bacteria during episodes of inflammatory disease. “A deeper understanding of these pathways may help in developing new prevention and treatment strategies for conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and certain gastrointestinal infections and colorectal cancers,” said More than 1 million people in the U.S. suffer from IBD, a chronic, lifelong inflammatory disorder of the intestines that has no cure or means of prevention.