Boffins successfully reverse multiple sclerosis in mice.Byline: ANI London, Aug 12 (ANI): In a breakthrough study, researchers have successfully reversed multiple sclerosis in mice with the help of a new experimental treatment. According to researchers at the Jewish General Hospital Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research and McGill University in Montreal, the new treatment known as GIFT15 has reversed the devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. autoimmune disorder Autoimmune disorder A disorder caused by a reaction of an individual's immune system against the organs or tissues of the body. Autoimmune processes can have different results: slow destruction of a particular type of cell or tissue, stimulation of an organ into in mice, and might work exactly the same way in humans. It puts MS into remission by suppressing the immune response immune response n. An integrated bodily response to an antigen, especially one mediated by lymphocytes and involving recognition of antigens by specific antibodies or previously sensitized lymphocytes. . The research team believes that the treatment can also help treat autoimmune disorders Autoimmune Disorders Definition Autoimmune disorders are conditions in which a person's immune system attacks the body's own cells, causing tissue destruction. like Crohn's disease, lupus and arthritis. It is the personalized form of cellular therapy which utilizes the body's own cells to suppress immunity in a much more targeted way. GIFT15 is composed of two proteins, GSM-CSF and interleukin-15, fused together artificially in the lab. Under normal circumstances, the individual proteins usually act to stimulate the immune system, but in their fused form, the equation reverses itself. "You know those mythical animals that have the head of an eagle and the body of a lion? They're called chimeras. In a lyrical sense, that's what we've created," Nature quoted Dr. Jacques Galipeau of the JGH JGH Jewish General Hospital (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) JGH John Gaston Hospital Lady Davis Institute and McGill's Faculty of Medicine as saying. "GIFT15 is a new protein hormone composed of two distinct proteins, and when they're stuck together they lead to a completely unexpected biological effect," he added. This biological effect converts B-cells- a common form of white blood cell normally involved in immune response - into powerful immune-suppressive cells. "GIFT15 can take your normal, run-of-the-mill B-cells and convert them - in a Superman or Jekyll -Hyde sort of way -into these super-powerful B-regulatory cells," said Galipeau. "We can do that in a petri dish. We took normal B-cells from mice, and sprinkled GIFT15 on them, which led to this Jekyll and Hyde Jekyll and Hyde 1. A slang term referring to the strengths and weaknesses of a company's financial statements. 2. An asset that suddenly increases or decreases in value. 3. effect. "And when we gave them back intravenously to mice ill with multiple sclerosis, the disease went away," he added. The study appears in journal Nature Medicine. (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion