Patients with IBD are typically treated with agents that target aberrant immune responses and inflammatory cascades, including anti-inflammatory agents (5-aminosalicylic acid and glucocorticosteroids), immunomodulatory therapy (azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurines and cyclosporine) and monoclonal antibody therapy (for example, with anti-TNF-α and leukapheresis) (10–14). Here, TNF is linked to inflammatory bowel disease.