A protein called apoptosis inhibitor 5 (API-5) protects intestinal Paneth cells, which are disrupted in Crohn’s disease, and could lead to a new treatment for the inflammatory bowel disease. Writing in the Oct. 5, 2022, online issue of Nature, Ken Cadwell, a professor of microbiology at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, and colleagues described testing the protein in a mouse model and in gut organoids with good results. Crohn’s disease is one of two key autoimmune diseases that affect the gut, the second of which is ulcerative colitis. Combined, inflammatory bowel diseases affect around 3 million people in the U.S. While there is currently no cure for these conditions, there are monoclonal antibody therapies available.