JANUARY 23, 2019

Heard of ‘Pyroptosis’? Hot Topic in Cell Biology Drawing Increased Attention for GI Health

Every medical student understands the concept of apoptosis, a common form of cell death. But a sister process that has only been discovered relatively recently may be just as important to understanding the clinical progression of gastrointestinal diseases.

The process is known as pyroptosis, and it refers to cell death associated with inflammation triggered by microbial infections, cancer and other illnesses. Although the term has been used for more than 10 years, researchers are only now