Scientists at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have made an important discovery. They found that certain genetic changes linked to leukemia can also create “rogue” immune cells that attack the body and cause autoimmune diseases. This helps explain why some people with leukemia often develop other health problems like rheumatoid arthritis or aplastic anemia.
Normally, the immune system is the body’s defense team. It protects us by fighting off harmful cells, bacteria, and viruses. A type of immune cell called killer T cells plays a big part in this defense by destroying anything that threatens the body.
But the new study showed that when certain genes are changed, these killer T cells can malfunction. Instead of protecting the body, they grow uncontrollably and attack healthy cells. This leads to autoimmune diseases, where the immune system mistakenly targets the body’s own tissues.
Scientists have known for a while that cancer and autoimmune diseases are connected. Cancers like leukemia grow when tumor cells avoid being destroyed by the immune system.
Autoimmune diseases happen when the immune system becomes confused and starts attacking healthy parts of the body. However, until now, it wasn’t clear exactly how these two conditions were linked.
To dig deeper, the researchers looked at blood samples from children with rare inherited autoimmune diseases. They also used a powerful gene-editing tool called CRISPR/Cas9 to study mice. They focused on a protein called STAT3, which helps control the growth and behavior of immune cells.
The study found that when STAT3 is altered, killer T cells start behaving badly. They grow larger than normal and stop listening to the body’s usual signals that keep the immune system in check. Even a small number of these rogue T cells—just 1–2% of all the immune cells—can cause serious autoimmune diseases.
This discovery could lead to better, more targeted treatments for people with autoimmune diseases and leukemia. Medicines like JAK inhibitors, which are already approved in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), might be used more precisely based on a patient’s genetic makeup.
The researchers also found new information about two systems of cell receptors that respond to stress. These receptors help immune cells communicate, and understanding them better could lead to new ways to stop rogue cells before they cause damage.
In the future, doctors might be able to use advanced blood tests to look at a person’s immune system at the genetic level. This could help catch problems early, before autoimmune diseases have a chance to develop.
The study was led by Dr. Etienne Masle-Farquhar and published in the journal Immunity. It opens up exciting new possibilities for understanding and treating both leukemia and autoimmune diseases.
By identifying how small genetic changes can lead to big problems in the immune system, researchers hope to find better ways to prevent, manage, and treat these serious conditions.
If you care about medicine, please read studies that vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases, and drug for inflammation may stop spread of cancer.
For more health information, please see recent studies about which drug can harm your liver most, and results showing this drug can give your immune system a double boost against cancer
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
