Therapeutic approaches towards the treatment of gastroinstestinal disorders.

The Society for Medicines Research gathered an international panel of speakers and about 60 delegates for their symposium September 21, 2006, on Therapeutic Approaches Towards the Treatment of Gastroinstestinal Disorders, at the National Heart and Lung Institute, in London, U.K. The focus of the conference was to discuss therapeutic strategies taken towards the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease, acid related disorders and irritable bowel syndrome. Key note lectures addressed the development of tegaserod, a 5-HT(4) receptor agonist, for the treatment of constipation dominant irritable bowel syndrome (cIBS), the use of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) inhibitors in the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, including Crohn's disease, the development of effective inhibitors of gastric acid secretion, the role of alpha(4)beta(7) integrin in the development of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, the parts played by the neuropeptides ghrelin and motilin in the control of gastrointestinal motility, and the role of bacteria in functional gastrointestinal disease.