Research:? Injected cells stop body from attacking self
zumone2002
Injected cells stop body from attacking self
* 18:24 03 November 2009 by Jessica Hamzelou
A virtually unlimited supply of rare cells can now be produced in the
laboratory to fight diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis in mice.
Crucially, these cells, which dampen down the body's immune response,
have been engineered so that they target damaged tissue yet don't
leave the rest of the body open to infection.
Vaccines have long harnessed the body's natural ability to fight
disease. Therapies that boost our natural immune response to cancer
are also in the works (see Autoimmune disease cells harnessed to fight
cancer).
But in autoimmune disease – in which the immune system mistakenly
attacks the body's own tissue – the opposite is needed. So
immunologists have long eyed up the cells that dampen down the immune
response, known as regulatory T-cells or T-regs, for their potential
to treat autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes
and multiple sclerosis.
There have been two challenges: how to obtain large supplies of the
rare T-regs, which make up less than 1 per cent of all immune cells,
and how to neutralise dangerous immune cells without weakening the
entire immune system, leaving people open to infection. Now Hans
Stauss and his colleagues at University College London have made a
stab at solving both.
Straight to the joint
The team starts by extracting ordinary T-cells – immune cells that are
common in the blood – from mice and using a virus to insert two genes
into these cells. One gene, FOXP3, transforms the ordinary T-cells
into T-regs. The second gene codes for a receptor for a substance
called ovalbumin.
Next the researchers injected ovalbumin into mice with rheumatoid
arthritis, which is caused by normal T-cells attacking cartilage. Each
mouse had two arthritic joints, but the researchers injected the
ovalbumin into one only. Then they injected the lab-produced T-reg
cells into the same mice.
The idea was that the ovalbumin would attract the cells, which would
dampen down the arthritic inflammation that was attacking the joint's
cartilage. The rest of the immune system, however, would remain
intact.
Sure enough, the injected cells homed in on the ovalbumin-injected
arthritic joints and reduced inflammation, while the other joints
remained inflamed.
More targets
Stauss says that a similar T-reg therapy could be developed to target
autoimmune diseases that strike other parts of the body, by adding
genes for receptors specific to molecules found there.
Alexandre Corthay of the University of Oslo in Norway warns of the
unpredictable nature of T-regs, which regularly turn back into normal
T-cells in the body. Stauss admits that this is a risk but reckons
that artificially produced T-reg cells are more stable than naturally
occurring ones.
He also points out that because the T-regs are specific to a
particular part of the body, even if they did revert, the damage they
could do would be limited.
--
Luke
"Stauss admits that this is a risk but reckons that artificially
produced T-reg cells are more stable than naturally occurring ones."
I reckon Stauss is guessing...
Mel
> http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18096-injected-cells-stop-body-...
wishful thinking? That said, this approach hold promise--and great
risk. if it can be harnessed, and controlled,....
my daughter always says "if grandma had balls, she'd be grandpa."
Nann Bell
(in message
<7bfda782-d108-43da...@r5g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>):
> "Stauss admits that this is a risk but reckons that artificially
> produced T-reg cells are more stable than naturally occurring ones."
>
> I reckon Stauss is guessing..."
>
> wishful thinking? That said, this approach hold promise--and great
> risk. if it can be harnessed, and controlled,....
speaking as a newcomer to crohn's who has had psoriasis and psoriatic
arthritis for decades abd who had family members with RA, all these reports
of scientists who are moving closer to actually being able to reset our
immune systems are hopeful indeed.
When I was first diagnosed with PsA in '85, I never dreamed they would have
learned so much more about our immune systems just 24 years later.
--
Nann
remove the Gator cheer to email me
You can see a lot by just looking --- Yogi Berra
Kofi
> produced T-reg cells are more stable than naturally occurring ones."
>
Why settle for artificial means when you can do so naturally with
helminth infections?
These cells aren't strictly "antiinflammatory" either. They serve an
antiviral function in the body. No doubt this contributes to how they
limit the development of autoantibodies.
Rocket
You don't even need injections these days. Had UC for 8 years, that
was 5 years ago now. Pulled myself out of a 6 month flare up where I
ended up in hospital (a familiar place for those with UC) with some
plain old nutrition and a formula of special stabilised
polysaccarides. Did the trick in no time and was back on a regular
healthy diet within a month, much to the relief of my family. Never
felt better in my life. 5 years down the track I have a much better
apreciation of life for what I went through, and seeing how this has
helped my friends as well, those of whom that had open minds and
trusted me. I did not disappoint them, just not that kind of guy. I
really feel for those that are suffering, and trying to discover what
meds work for them. Meds are not the long term solution (good for
short term relief though, I will grant that), getting the body back on
track and functioning the way it was designed to is. The body can do
some amazing things when given the right nutrients. I have witnessed
it in others and experienced it myself, and the doctors shake their
heads in disbelief wondering 'What the....?'. And the great thing
about the body healing itself is that there are no side effects except
a great feeling of wellbeing, and you don;t have to worry about
something going wrong. All you need is an open mind and a willingness
to try something different. Someone once said that the definition of
insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, getting the same
result, but not finding the answer. Look outside the square!
Nann Bell
(in message
<1941288e-da20-41b3...@r24g2000prf.googlegroups.com>):
> You don't even need injections these days. Had UC for 8 years, that
> was 5 years ago now. Pulled myself out of a 6 month flare up where I
> ended up in hospital (a familiar place for those with UC) with some
> plain old nutrition and a formula of special stabilised
> polysaccarides. Did the trick in no time and was back on a regular
> healthy diet within a month, much to the relief of my family. Never
> felt better in my life. 5 years down the track I have a much better
> apreciation of life for what I went through, and seeing how this has
> helped my friends as well, those of whom that had open minds and
> trusted me. I did not disappoint them, just not that kind of guy. I
> really feel for those that are suffering, and trying to discover what
> meds work for them. Meds are not the long term solution (good for
> short term relief though, I will grant that), getting the body back on
> track and functioning the way it was designed to is. The body can do
> some amazing things when given the right nutrients. I have witnessed
> it in others and experienced it myself, and the doctors shake their
> heads in disbelief wondering 'What the....?'. And the great thing
> about the body healing itself is that there are no side effects except
> a great feeling of wellbeing, and you don;t have to worry about
> something going wrong. All you need is an open mind and a willingness
> to try something different. Someone once said that the definition of
> insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, getting the same
> result, but not finding the answer. Look outside the square!
but you are assuming that all GI disorders with the same, or simlar, tags are
caused by the same mechanisms. I truly suspect this will not prove to be
true (as I suspect the inflammatory arthritises will ultimately differentiate
along lines other than those currently used).
It deeply annoys me when people categorically state that if you do this it
will heal you. I've had psoriasis for 38 years and psoriatic arthritis for
24. I long ago tried the diets that people claim will "cure" these diseases
along with many of the supplements that supposedly did the same. No
discernable difference. Now that I've added crohn's to my autoimmune,
inflammatory disease list I'm not putting myself through that again. Both of
my parents families have histories of autoimmune illnesses and we seem to be
stuck with that until they figure out a way to reteach the immune system what
to attack.
Please don't categorically state that one particular way of dealing with
these will work for everyone. Instead, say it worked for you and might be
worth a try for others. Stepping off my soapbox ow.....