However, NSAIDs can irritate the stomach lining, and cause ulceration which can lead to bleeding and infections.

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Up to four per cent of patients taking NSAIDs develop serious gastrointestinal complications, including peptic ulceration and bleeding from the stomach and small intestine.

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The system could, for example, be used to explore the binding between Helicobacter proteins and those in the stomach cells that it attacks, in order to find targets for new drugs to block ulceration.

ECONOMIST: Genomics