The revelation that murine caspase‐11 is involved in regulating IL‐1β production through a non‐canonical inflammasome following Gram‐negative bacterial infection 24, 25 has led us to investigate whether the functional homologues of caspase‐11 and human caspases‐4 and ‐5 24, 26 may be involved in mediating intestinal inflammation during IBD and CRC. This evidence concerns the gene IL1B and inflammatory bowel disease.