With its length and multitude of folds and protrusions, the intestine represents the largest contact surface between our body and the food taken up from the outside. However, little is currently known about which genes play an important role in digestion or contact with foreign substances. Researchers from the Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, USA, have succeeded in developing a novel method that makes genetic analyses possible for all regions of the intestine. This will facilitate future research on how genes influence the normal function of the intestinal lining, as well as their effect on diseases and aging