A group of researchers from the line of bowel disease of the Phisiology and Pathophisiology group at VHIR, led by Dr. Javier Santos, is the only Spanish representation in the European network GENIEUR (Genes in Irritable Bowel Syndrome Europe).Over 70 research groups from 19 European countries are participating in this project for understanding causes and improving options for diagnosis and treatment of the irritable bowel syndrome. The goal is not only to identify characteristic changes in a patient’s genome, but also to test an array of possible interactions, for instance, between lifestyle, diet, allergies, mental illness, pain syndromes, past infections or changes in intestinal flora. The European Science Foundation is providing 500,000 euros over the next four years to develop the investigation of this network.