Worm Research May Help Autoimmune Disorders

[Guest guest]

November 9, 2005

Worm Research May Help Autoimmune Disorders

Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have discovered that the

puny little worm H Polygyrus induces regulatory T cells and

effectively suppresses the immune system. The plan now is to discover

the mediator(s) responsible for this effect:

University of Edinburgh scientists have discovered that helminth

parasites can exploit an 'Achilles heel' in our immune system,

tricking the body's defences into switching themselves off.

To find out how the worms do this, the team are focusing on the role

played by 'regulatory cells', which fulfil a policing role that

protects our bodies. These cells decide when to stop the immune

system from attacking the body's own proteins, and also prevent it

from wasting time attacking harmless environmental molecules.

It is thought that helminths produce molecules that trigger a

response in regulatory cells similar to the one that prevents

autoimmunity, fooling the body into switching off the response that

would otherwise kill the parasites.

If that is the case, then infections could be cured, not by

vaccination or drug treatment, but by reactivating the immune system.

It is the first time such a concept has been explored to curb the

tropical diseases caused by helminths - such as filariasis and

schistosomiasis - which affect one in four of the global population.

The study - the first findings of which are reported in the Journal

of Experimental Medicine - could also help growing numbers of people

in the developed world who have autoimmune conditions such as

diabetes, and allergies like asthma and hay fever.

Again, the key is identifying the molecules that helminths produce in

order to influence regulatory cell activity. If scientists can

understand how these molecules trigger suppression of the immune

system, they might also employ the molecules to stop the immune

system from attacking the body's own cells - which is what happens in

diseases caused by over-active immune responses.

Professor Rick Maizels, of the University of Edinburgh's School of

Biological Sciences, has been awarded £1.3 million by the Wellcome

Trust to conduct the research.

" Perhaps we can borrow a trick from parasites, and employ the

molecules which suppress the immune system to treat these disorders, "

he explains.

" The project therefore offers potential for new treatments of

diseases in both the developed world and the disadvantaged countries

of the tropics. "

http://www.medgadget.com/archives/2005/11/worm_research_m_1.html