The present invention provides methods and compositions for treating inflammatory bowel disease, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's Disease, and other related conditions, by locally administering to the intestinal mucosa of a subject having inflammatory bowel disease a therapeutically effective amount of IL-27 or a therapeutic variant or fragment thereof. The invention further provides a method to treat inflammatory bowel disease comprising administering to the subject a recombinant microorganism capable of producing a therapeutically effective amount of IL-27 or a variant or fragment thereof in situ in the intestinal mucosa.
