Jennifer Matthews: Every week, Kristen Smith treks three and a half hours from Indianapolis to Chicago. But with all the Windy City has to offer, Kristen has more than shopping on her mind. She's here for a study of a new drug for crohn's disease.
Kristen Smith: They're kind of at the end of the road with normal treatment. I'm either on it, or it hasn't worked.
Jennifer Matthews: Nearly four years ago, Kristen thought she had the flu. Then, her symptoms got worse.
Kristen Smith: A lot of abdominal pain. I can't eat. I have no desire to eat, basically.
Jennifer Matthews: She had to take a break from school. She is on 30 pills a day and still is in a constant battle with her body.
Kristen Smith: There is always the fight with depression or good days and bad days, or I want to do something and can't.
Dr. Alan Buchman: We're searching for drugs that are not only better or work better than other drugs that are commercially available, but are safer.
Jennifer Matthews: In Crohn's disease, white blood cells produce too much of the chemical TNF and cause inflammation. CNI-1493 blocks the message to make TNF.
Dr. Alan Buchman: The idea is that we can block this inflammatory cascade and stop the inflammation from occurring."
Kristen Smith: I'm very much an overachiever and don't like being told, 'You can't do something,' or, 'You have limits.'
Jennifer Matthews: If the study continues like doctors expect, she will be able to get back to normal life. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.
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