Re: more new research....

On 15 Nov, 07:55, "Harvey R. Stone" <hrst...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
"Nann Bell" <hanbellGOGAT...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message

news:0001HW.C543E701018DC506F0284550@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It's getting scarey to think they may realy be approaching the ability to
reset the immune system!

but so is what we have. They are getting down to the bottom of what we
have and I always knew they would or will.
It will take a great deal of time to bring what they have found out down to
our level.... :-) where the rubber meets the road so to speak. Thanks
for posting this,,, it did me good just to read it.
Harv



http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-11/plos-rab110508.php

Rheumatoid arthritis breakthrough

Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, inflammatory type of arthritis that
occurs
when the body's immune system attacks itself. A new paper, published in
this
week's issue of PLoS Biology, reports a breakthrough in the understanding
of
how autoimmune responses can be controlled, offering a promising new
strategy
for therapy development for rheumatoid arthritis.

Normally, immune cells develop to recognise foreign material ­ antigens;
including bacteria - so that they can activate a response against them.
Immune cells that would respond to 'self' and therefore attack the body's
own
cells are usually destroyed during development. If any persist, they are
held
in check by special regulatory cells that provide a sort of autoimmune
checkpoint. A key player in these regulatory cells is a molecule called
Foxp3. People who lack or have mutated versions of the Foxp3 gene lack or
have dysfunctional immune regulation, which causes dramatic autoimmune
disease.

Scientists at the Medical Research Council's Laboratory of Molecular
Biology
in Cambridge, and funded by the Arthritis Research Campaign, have
genetically
engineered a drug-inducible form of Foxp3. Using this, scientists can
'switch' developing immune cells into regulatory cells that are then
capable
of suppressing the immune response.

Dr. Alexander Betz, Group Leader at the MRC laboratory, explains: "We have
generated a modified form of Foxp3 which can be introduced into immune
cells
using genetic engineering techniques and then activated by a simple
injection. When administered to and activated in animal models of
arthritis,
the modified cells inhibit or even reverse the disease process."

Further work is now aimed at elucidating the detailed molecular mechanisms
involved in Foxp3 function, and transferring the experimental approach to
human cells.

"First, we will develop a human Foxp3 factor and then assess its function
in
human arthritis models," said Dr Betz. "To be viable as a therapeutic
option,
the regulatory cells must fulfill certain criteria; they must be tissue
matched to the patient for compatibility; they must only block the
targeted
disease and not the whole body immune response; and they have to home
correctly to their target tissue. Establishing these criteria will be the
key
focus of our research.

"If Foxp3 functions as a key developmental switch in human immune cells,
there is potential for a new avenue of therapy development that could
transform arthritis treatment is substantial," he added.

###

Citation: Andersen KG, Butcher T, Betz AG (2008) Specific
immunosuppression
with inducible Foxp3-transduced polyclonal T cells. PLoS Biol 6(11): e276.
doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060276

PLEASE ADD THE LINK TO THE PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN ONLINE VERSIONS OF YOUR
REPORT:
http://biology.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-
document&doi=10.1371/journal.pbio.0060276

---
Nann
remove the Gator cheer to email me
Change everything. Love & forgive.



This looks like a real possibility for RA remission.
Let us hope it fulfills its promise.

Peter
.

Relevant Pages

  • more new research....
    ... Rheumatoid arthritis is a painful, inflammatory type of arthritis that occurs ... when the body's immune system attacks itself. ... Immune cells that would respond to 'self' and therefore attack the body's own ... People who lack or have mutated versions of the Foxp3 gene lack or ...
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    (talk.origins)
  • Re: more new research....
    ... Rheumatoid arthritis breakthrough ... when the body's immune system attacks itself. ... Immune cells that would respond to 'self' and therefore attack the body's ... People who lack or have mutated versions of the Foxp3 gene lack or ...
    (alt.support.arthritis)
  • Re: The last ancestor of all life
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