An overarching goal of the HDDC is to facilitate the discovery of basic mechanisms underlying digestive health and disease, and to encourage the translation of these basic discoveries to improvement in patient care. The Clinical and Translational Program (Clinical Component) of the HDDC is designed to support basic science by providing human materials to HDDC members who are conducting basic and translational laboratory research, and to support the specialized needs of our HDDC Principal and Affiliate Members and Mentored Faculty involved in clinical research. Our strategy is to facilitate and support collaborations between basic, translational, and clinical researchers, and to leverage resources currently in place at CHB and BWH, via the BCH Bio-Repository & Harvard IBD Data Registry, the BWH Inflammatory Bowel Disease Tissue Repository (BrITR), and BCH Biostatistics Program. The Specific Aims of the HDDC Clinical and Translational Research Program are: 1. To forge collaborations between HDDC Members by assuring availability of fresh and stored human samples for basic and translational research, and guiding HDDC basic research advances toward potential clinical applications. 2. To support a well-organized infrastructure for acquisition and storage of clinical samples (with relevant clinical metadata) as a long-term resource for current and future studies on diseases related to the alimentary tract. 3. To provide professional support in biostatistics and study design to HDDC Members for effective design of clinical studies and appropriate analysis and interpretation of data. The Clinical and Translational Program is directed by Scott B Snapper, MD, PhD, Director of the Center for IBD within the GI Division at CHB and Director of IBD Research at BWH. The Program has established clear guidelines for prioritization of resources for HDDC Principal and Affiliate Members and Mentored Faculty, including access to fresh or stored human samples and availability of biostatistical support personnel. The Program is heavily subsidized by non-HDDC grant support and institutional resources from the Divisions of GI at BCH and BWH.