As pointed out above Smad7 is also over-expressed by immune cells in IBD tissue and studies in experimental models have shown that over-expression of Smad7 in T cells associates with severe colitis and reduced growth of colitis-associated CRC, thus highlighting the opposing role of Smad7 in the control of sporadic and colitis-associated CRC [47]. This evidence concerns the gene SMAD7 and inflammatory bowel disease.