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Download Engineered red blood cells can relieve autoimmune diseases, study
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Engineeredredbloodcellscanrelieveautoimmunediseases,studyfinds By:BradleyJ.FikesContactReporter March6,2017 Red blood cells can be used to ease autoimmune reactions, according to a new study. (Pixabay) Modifiedredbloodcellscanrelievesymptomsofautoimmunediseasessuchasmultiple sclerosisandtype1diabetes,accordingtoastudyinmicepublishedMonday. Moreover,animmunesystemexpertnotinvolvedwiththestudysaiditmightbequickly readiedfortestinginpeople. Researchersgeneticallyengineeredredbloodcellstoattachtoproteinfragmentscalled antigens,substancesthattriggeranimmuneresponse.Theantigensattachedtothemwere interpretedbythebody’simmunesystemasanormalpartoftheredbloodcells, suppressingtheautoimmuneresponse. Researchersalsodemonstratedthathumanredbloodcellscouldalsobequicklymodified, withoutgeneticengineering,tocarrysimilarantigens. Theprocesstakesadvantageoftheroutinedestructionanddisposalofredbloodcellsin thespleenandotherregionsofthebody.Asthecellsareprocessed,theimmunesystem examinesthepartsanddeterminestheyare“self.” Theapproachdiffersfromotherautoimmunetherapiesthattargetwhitebloodcells,which aredirectlyinvolvedintheimmuneresponse.Theseincludemonoclonalantibodydrugs suchasRituxanthatdepletecertainwhitebloodcells. ThestudywasledbyscientistsfromtheWhiteheadInstituteforBiomedicalResearchat theMassachusettsInstituteofTechnology.ItwaspublishedMondayintheProceedingsof theNationalAcademyofSciences.Whenpublishedonline,thestudycanbefound atj.mp/redimmune. “Thefactthattheauthorscanmodifyhumanredbloodcells,anddothisinanhour, suggeststhattheirapproachcouldsoonbetranslatedtoclinicaltrials,”saidKlausLey.M.D., aprofessorattheLaJollaInstituteforAllergyandImmunology.Hewasnotinvolvedinthe study. “Endogenous(patient-derived)redbloodcellscouldbeused,or“universaldonorredblood cells”,knownasNullRhesusnegative,couldevenbestockpiled,”saidLey,headofthe divisionofinflammationbiology,inanemail. “Theapproachproposedisconceptuallysimilartothedesensitizationusedinasthmaand hayfeverpatients,wheretheallergenisgivenrepeatedlyatlowdosestoteachtheimmune systemthatitisharmless,”Leywrote.“Buttheapproachproposedhereismuchmore powerful.” “First,theauthorsshowthattheycanpreventdiseaseinacceptedmousemodelsof multiplesclerosis(MS)andtype1diabetes(T1D).Moreremarkably,theycanreverse diseaseprogressionevenafterthediseasehasstarted.Thisisimportantforclinical translation,becauseyouwouldnotknowthatsomeoneisgettingMSorT1Dunlessthey alreadyhavesymptoms.” Leysaidthereisatheoreticalsafetyconcernthat,dependingontheimmunesystem processescertainproteinfragmentsfromtheredbloodcells,thatsomeantigenscould triggerratherthansuppressanautoimmuneresponse. “However,moresophisticatedtargetingofredbloodcellsurfacemoleculesmay circumventthis(theoretical)concern,”Leysaid.“OnlyPhaseIsafetystudiesinhealthy volunteerswillshowwhetherthiscouldbearealissue.Takentogether,thisisthemost practicalandpromisingapproachtopreventandperhapseventreatautoimmune diseases.”
