Scientists have identified a new internal regulator which helps control the body’s response to fight infection.
The discovery could be a target for new drugs to tackle autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and scleroderma, where healthy tissues are attacked by the body’s own immune system.
“We want to put a brake on the body’s own immune system to stop it turning on itself,” said Dr Elton Zeqiraj from the University of Leeds.
“Our discovery has the potential to help us find a new drug to target this regulator, to suppress the immune system and stop the body destroying its own cells, even when there is no infection present.
“We’re a long way off being able to find a new effective treatment for autoimmune disease, but we’re excited because this discovery could open the door to a new class of drugs.”
To read more of this article, please head over to http://www.leeds.ac.uk/news/article/4420/new_regulator_of_immune_responses_discovered
The full Nature Journal article can be found here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1232-1