Well, that's a couple of years' Nobel Prizes in Medicine sorted out. Prize 1 for the autoimmune deactivation, Prize 2 if they can stop cancer cells from using O-GalNAc glycosylation to evade...
Well, that's a couple of years' Nobel Prizes in Medicine sorted out. Prize 1 for the autoimmune deactivation, Prize 2 if they can stop cancer cells from using O-GalNAc glycosylation to evade immune response.
This is so, so amazing if they really have found an effective off switch for T-cell mediated autoimmunity. And it sounds like the assembly of the "inverse vaccine" agents should be comparatively inexpensive. Imagine how much suffering could be alleviated and how many lives extended or saved if you eliminate multiple sclerosis, Type I diabetes, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, autoimmune thyroiditis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis...
It's not going to happen immediately. Not all autoimmune diseases have an identified single protein, peptide, or polysaccharide under attack. It may be harder to develop effective treatments for autoimmune diseases where nuclear proteins, DNA, or RNA are targets (Sjogren's, lupus, systemic sclerosis, etc.). The paper doesn't really indicate whether the treatment is permanent, whether there's a possibility of off-target effects, or other questions that might be answered with further clinical trials.
This discovery is an absolute nightmare for the pharmaceutical industry. Global healthcare spending for autoimmune diseases is vast and growing rapidly. The cost growth is largely due to expensive antibody-based drugs that work by shutting down portions of the normal immune system. These drugs require lifetime treatment (pharma win!) and can let infections and cancers evade response. They've never been a great choice for patients, just a functional one.
[Sorry, allergy sufferers - allergy involves a different suite of immune cells and antibodies.]
I'm in the same situation, and really scared of becoming further disabled. I've been hoping that we were on the brink of understanding the immune system better in general, especially in the...
I'm in the same situation, and really scared of becoming further disabled. I've been hoping that we were on the brink of understanding the immune system better in general, especially in the context of the big funding surge for new research associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm delighted that there are finally better explanations for the mechanisms behind self-attacking antibodies than a hand-wave at "autoimmunity". An actual cure seems almost too much to hope for.
Kinda sorta already done. I knew a guy that had a severe peanut allergy since childhood (like, peanut oil in the air would cause bad irritation). His treatment started with ver small injections of...
Kinda sorta already done. I knew a guy that had a severe peanut allergy since childhood (like, peanut oil in the air would cause bad irritation). His treatment started with ver small injections of very diluted peanut oils. 15 years later (whenvI knew him), he was able to have 2 whole peanuts with only mild irritation.
Not a path to eliminating the allergy, but it protects him from accidental contamination.
That said, the approach in the article might be a lot faster.
Well, that's a couple of years' Nobel Prizes in Medicine sorted out. Prize 1 for the autoimmune deactivation, Prize 2 if they can stop cancer cells from using O-GalNAc glycosylation to evade immune response.
This is so, so amazing if they really have found an effective off switch for T-cell mediated autoimmunity. And it sounds like the assembly of the "inverse vaccine" agents should be comparatively inexpensive. Imagine how much suffering could be alleviated and how many lives extended or saved if you eliminate multiple sclerosis, Type I diabetes, celiac disease, Crohn's disease, autoimmune thyroiditis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis...
It's not going to happen immediately. Not all autoimmune diseases have an identified single protein, peptide, or polysaccharide under attack. It may be harder to develop effective treatments for autoimmune diseases where nuclear proteins, DNA, or RNA are targets (Sjogren's, lupus, systemic sclerosis, etc.). The paper doesn't really indicate whether the treatment is permanent, whether there's a possibility of off-target effects, or other questions that might be answered with further clinical trials.
This discovery is an absolute nightmare for the pharmaceutical industry. Global healthcare spending for autoimmune diseases is vast and growing rapidly. The cost growth is largely due to expensive antibody-based drugs that work by shutting down portions of the normal immune system. These drugs require lifetime treatment (pharma win!) and can let infections and cancers evade response. They've never been a great choice for patients, just a functional one.
[Sorry, allergy sufferers - allergy involves a different suite of immune cells and antibodies.]
As an autoimmune patient I'm so happy because of this news and your interesting comment.
And hope for next inventions, also regarding allergic folks.
I'm in the same situation, and really scared of becoming further disabled. I've been hoping that we were on the brink of understanding the immune system better in general, especially in the context of the big funding surge for new research associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. I'm delighted that there are finally better explanations for the mechanisms behind self-attacking antibodies than a hand-wave at "autoimmunity". An actual cure seems almost too much to hope for.
Could this technique be used to treat allergies too, by inducing the body to tolerate the allergen?
Kinda sorta already done. I knew a guy that had a severe peanut allergy since childhood (like, peanut oil in the air would cause bad irritation). His treatment started with ver small injections of very diluted peanut oils. 15 years later (whenvI knew him), he was able to have 2 whole peanuts with only mild irritation.
Not a path to eliminating the allergy, but it protects him from accidental contamination.
That said, the approach in the article might be a lot faster.