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Immunology
101: Pathways to a Cure From the Arthritis Research 9/03 - Full Article Basic research about the role of the immune system in arthritis may seem dry and hard to understand, but as shared by several conference presenters, insights gained from such research are paving the way for innovative therapies to slow down and perhaps even stop disease progression. Death
for T and B cells What's the relevance to people with arthritis? Therapeutic agents that selectively remove only those immune cells involved in the harmful immune response in diseases such as RA and lupus have obvious appeal. Not only could such targeted therapy help avoid many of the side effects seen with non-specific drugs, but it also has the potential of essentially turning off the underlying disease process, leading to a remission or even cure. Taking
the “Toll Road”: Your Frontline Defense One of the first lines of defense against invading bacteria and viruses is a family of proteins called the "toll-like receptors," which are able to distinguish markers or patterns that are unique to these foreign organisms. After recognizing these early signs of infection, the toll receptors signal other immune system players to join the attack to kill and remove the foreign invaders. According to Dr. Krieg, this "infectious-type" recognition pathway appears to also be involved in diseases such as RA and lupus. Dr. Corr reported data suggesting that certain toll receptors appear to help perpetuate the chronic inflammation in RA. There is evidence that antimalarial drugs such as Plaquenil, which can be used to treat RA and lupus, may actually work by blocking this innate response pathway. Dr. Krieg and his colleagues have shown that by creating vaccines that include the unique markers recognized by the toll receptors, you can "trick" the immune system into making a stronger defensive response. What's
the relevance to people with arthritis? These discoveries show
that the "toll road" is not only an exciting new area of
research but also that it may be possible to target this arm of the
immune system to develop greatly improved therapies that redirect the
faulty immune response in RA, lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Targeting
Complement What's the relevance to people with arthritis? Therapies that block the complement pathway provide a new way to inhibit inflammation and tissue damage in people with RA and lupus. Recent studies supported by the Alliance for Lupus Research and the Arthritis Foundation have found that in a mouse model, such therapies might also prevent pregnancy losses. If this work can be extended to humans, complement proteins would become an important new target for preventing miscarriages in women with lupus and the antiphospholipid syndrome.
Research Update is compiled by Michele Boutaugh, BSN, MPH, Medical and Scientific Affairs Department, National Office. |
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