The common form of inflammatory bowl disease, ulcerative colitis, affects around 100 000 people in the UK alone and runs in families.
Researchers have linked the condition with the gene that encodes for interleukin 10 (IL10) - a compound which regulates inflammation.
IL10 therapy has been tested in early studies, Nature Genetics reported.
In the latest study, scientists scanned the whole genome in more than 1000 people with the condition and 800 healthy controls. Among a few gene differences, they found key variations in genetic regions directly alongside the IL10 gene.
