Scientists in Australia have made a discovery that may change how doctors understand blood cancer and diseases caused by the immune system.
Researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research found that some gene changes linked to leukemia can also cause immune cells to attack healthy parts of the body.
The study was published in the journal Immunity.
The immune system is the body’s natural defense against germs, viruses, and other threats. It also helps remove damaged and abnormal cells before they become a bigger problem.
One important type of immune cell is the killer T cell, which normally finds and destroys dangerous cells while leaving healthy tissues alone.
The research focused on a gene called STAT3. Genes act like instruction books for the body, telling cells how to grow and work. The team found that certain changes in STAT3 can make killer T cells ignore the body’s normal controls. Instead of protecting the body, these cells multiply too quickly and begin attacking healthy tissues, leading to autoimmune diseases.
Leukemia is a cancer that starts in the blood and bone marrow, where blood cells are made. It develops when abnormal blood cells grow out of control.
Doctors have long noticed that some people with leukemia also develop autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or aplastic anemia, but the reason for this link has remained unclear.
To investigate the problem, the researchers studied blood samples from children born with rare inherited autoimmune diseases. They also used the gene-editing tool CRISPR/Cas9 to introduce STAT3 changes into mice so they could watch how immune cells behaved. This allowed the team to study the effects of the gene changes in great detail.
The results surprised the researchers. They found that even if only one to two percent of killer T cells became abnormal, those few cells were enough to trigger an autoimmune disease. This shows that very small changes in the immune system can have a major effect on a person’s health.
The scientists also discovered two receptor systems linked to stress signals that help immune cells communicate with each other. Learning more about these systems may give researchers new ways to control immune responses and prevent harmful immune attacks before they become serious.
The findings may also lead to better medical care in the future. Medicines called JAK inhibitors are already used to reduce an overactive immune system and are approved for use in Australia. In the future, doctors may be able to test patients for these gene changes and choose treatments that stop harmful immune cells before they cause lasting damage.
The study was led by Dr. Etienne Masle-Farquhar. The researchers believe that understanding how STAT3 changes affect immune cells could help doctors diagnose disease earlier and develop more targeted treatments for both leukemia and autoimmune disorders.
The discovery offers new hope for preventing illness before severe symptoms appear.
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