This book is the proceedings of Falk Symposium 151 on 'Emerging Issues in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases', held in Sydney, Australia, on 24-25 March 2006, the first symposium of its kind both in the southern hemisphere and in the Asia--Pacific region. All contributors are leaders in their field of IBD across a wide spectrum of geographical regions and ethnicity. The book presents the first major text where East meets West in IBD. The major issues of concern in the regions where IBD is a relatively common disease include the role of genetic and environmental factors in pathogenesis and disease expression, the application of sophisticated diagnostic tools, and the best use of biological agents in therapy.