In a new study, researchers have uncovered a new potential approach to treat multiple types of autoimmune disease including arthritis.
The research was conducted by a team from the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science (KRCBS).
Two million Canadians live with autoimmune diseases, which are conditions such as arthritis or lupus that cause a body’s immune system to attack its own tissue.
These disorders are the most common and debilitating chronic diseases.
Treatments for autoimmune diseases have focused on reducing the efficacy of the immune system through immunosuppression.
In the new study, the researchers sought to explore whether an inflammatory antibody—Ter119—could treat the inflammation caused by autoimmune diseases.
Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system to help stop intruders, such as viruses or bacteria, from harming the body.
Ter119 is a particularly inflammatory antibody that targets red blood cells for destruction.
It is a lab example of a treatment that already exists for patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), which is a bleeding disorder in which the immune system destroys platelets.
The treatment is known as Rh(D) Immunoglobulin or Anti-D.
The researchers found that in addition to Ter119’s therapeutic effects in models of ITP, it also has positive effects on three models of arthritis and transfusion-related acute lung injury.
They say for patients, this may mean a new treatment is only a half-step away—though more research is certainly needed.
Because all of the work done in this study was in lab models, researchers want to test the results of using Ter119 as a treatment in arthritis to ensure there is consistency in their findings.
It is also important to note that the diseases examined in this work were all relatively acute models of disease, unlike the majority of patients who have chronic autoimmune disorders.
The next step will be to further understand the mechanism behind why some antibodies are helpful in fighting autoimmune diseases.
The lead author of the study is Dr. Alan Lazarus, co-director of the Hematology-Immunology Translational Research Collaboration.
The study is published in Science Translational Medicine.
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