Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a complex disorder that is associated with significant morbidity. While many advances have been made in the recent past with new diagnostic and therapeutic tools, a deeper understanding of its basic pathophysiology is needed to continue this trend towards improving treatments. A new area of research is now focusing on aspects of gene regulation from previously uninvestigated portions of the genome, namely long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). These new players have been implicated in a variety of cell processes including cell-cycle control, embryonic development, and inflammation.