2023-06-06 04:07:37
pte20230606002 Medicine/Wellness, Research/Development
Drug mix from researchers at Johns Hopkins University shows strong effects in mice
|
Brain of an MS patient: Affected cells appear red (Photo: hopkinsmedicine.org) |
Baltimore (pte002/06.06.2023/06:05)
Researchers at the Faculty of Medicine Johns Hopkins University increase the number of “good” immune cells by means of microparticles, so that nerve cell damage in mice with symptoms similar to multiple sclerosis is reduced. More than a third of the animals tested were completely cured in this way. The discovery has the potential to lead to new therapies not only for multiple sclerosis (MS), but also for other autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes.
Balance for two T cell types
“We developed a method to push back effector T cells in favor of regulatory T cells (T-Reg) that modulate the immune system and have been shown to prevent autoimmune reactions,” says researcher Giorgio Raimondi. He and his team injected biodegradable polymeric microparticles into the lymphatic tissue of the mice, which they used to deliver three key therapeutics.
The first consisted of two proteins, interleukin-2 (IL-2), which stimulates T-cell production and growth, and an antibody, which blocks specific binding sites on IL-2 but optimizes those that bind to T-regs are relevant. The second was a molecule on whose surface was “presented” a myelin protein fragment (peptide) that selects for myelin-specific T-regs that protect the nerve cell envelope. The third was the drug rapamycin, an immunosuppressant that lowers the number of effector T cells.
For autoimmune diseases
“We anticipate being able to target our therapy to a variety of autoimmune diseases. We hope to have a stockpile of potential therapies in hand before proceeding to safety and efficacy studies in mice, hopefully followed by human studies.” , according to Raimondi’s colleague Jordan Green.
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke almost three million people worldwide suffer from MS. In this neurological disease, the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks nerves that transmit information to the central nervous system. MS can cause long-term disability, affecting movement, muscle control, vision, and cognition. There is currently no cure for this insidious disease.
(End)
1686030797
#treatable #microparticles