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Autoimmune treatment hope

Ecoclimber

Senior Member
Messages
1,011
http://sciencealert.com.au/news/20132701-23998.html

Autoimmune treatment hope
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
Monday, 28 January 2013

When a patient has autoimmune disease, two proteins, Bax and Bak, are faulty in certain immune cells, causing them to live on after they should have died. But a newly developed drug could kill these cells, potentially helping to treat the disease.

Henrik5000_WhiteBloodCellsBig_iStock.jpg

When a patient has autoimmune disease, two proteins, Bax and Bak, are faulty in certain immune cells, causing them to live on after they should have died. But a newly developed drug could kill these cells, potentially helping to treat the disease.
Image: Henrik5000/iStockphoto

Melbourne researchers have discovered that the death of immune system cells is an important safeguard against the development of diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, which occur when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues.

The finding suggests that these so-called autoimmune diseases could be treated with existing medications that force long-lived immune system cells to die.

Eco
 

Persimmon

Senior Member
Messages
135
WEHI has a fantastic track record - breakthrough after breakthrough in immunology. (I'll post something separate on WEHI.) Hopefully this new finding will prove to be biggie, and one that directly helps us.
 

Lynn

Senior Member
Messages
366
I wonder if this could be the reason that Rituximab works for a while in some patients. Maybe it kills off the cells that have been impacted by Bax and Bak proteins and gives the body a chance to heal. It might also explain the relapse afterwords as well.

Lynn
 

Jenny

Senior Member
Messages
1,388
Location
Dorset
Another cancer drug that could be helpful. Sometimes I think getting cancer may not be such a bad thing for us - then perhaps we could get some treatment - what with this and rituximab.
 

Daffodil

Senior Member
Messages
5,875
cancer drugs are helpful for all kinds of things but its never a permanent solution :-/
 

Waverunner

Senior Member
Messages
1,079
Another cancer drug that could be helpful. Sometimes I think getting cancer may not be such a bad thing for us - then perhaps we could get some treatment - what with this and rituximab.

I just posted news about a new drug, that could treat asthma at the underlying cause of the disease. Originally it was developed for cancer as well.