Interesting autoimmunity research

Boomer13

Not sure if the link will work, but I found this interesting new work in autoimmune disease research,

http://www.bris.ac.uk/news/2014/september/autoimmune-disease.html

pot80

Yes,the link works. Thank you.

stickywicket

Thanks, Anna. Too late for me but it's good news for the future and I shall feel a bit more optimistic about the potential of my genetic grandson inheriting any of my rubbishy genes.

Boomer13

Yes, I think the next generations will be benefitting from all the little discoveries going on now, not us.

At least this therapy doesn't involve a drug of any kind, so no lengthy trials.

stickywicket

I'm not sure about that, Anna. It clearly involves injecting something (@antigen-specific immunotherapy') into the cells, presumably a drug.

I'd also be a bit cautious when I read "This type of conversion has been previously applied to allergies, known as ‘allergic desensitisation’ Well, there are still lots of people with severe allergies. If it was so successful surely there wouldn't be?

I write with all the scepticism of one told that a cure for RA was 'just around the corner' some 50 years ago

Boomer13

Sticky, I really share your sceptism regarding anything suggesting cure. I believe the injections are of protein fragments to stimulate an immune response similar to what happens in the disease in question, ie neural protein in MS. I'm not current on what is happening in allergy medicine, but I thought the desensitization therapy was still being researched :?:

Just looking at the lengths of time involved in research and then application, I really put it on here for interest sake only. There is always the distinct possibility that in a few years results found now could be proved wrong.

Still, it is interesting. The immune system is so complex, any new understanding is helpful, I think. I'm a science geek, though my brain misses a lot of learning these days.

LignumVitae

This does look interesting, it would be nice to think, even if there isn't a cure, that further down the line people receive a treatment that at least slows the disease and keeps working for longer than most of our current drugs do.

Starburst

While I, too, share the scepticism around supposed 'cures' (Daily Express headlines, I am talking about you!), :roll: I do think it's heartening that there is on going research. I am most interested in the time when the patent on biologics runs out and other companies will be able to re-create the drugs as a generic. It will be much cheaper and hopefully, NICE guidelines will change so that people can get started on them sooner.

Roadback

I had to reply this as there is a history to this type of immunotherapy - the research in bristol says

"This type of conversion has been previously applied to allergies, known as ‘allergic desensitisation’, but its application to autoimmune diseases has only been appreciated recently."

Yet wikipedia says -

"Enzyme potentiated desensitization, or EPD, is a treatment for allergies developed in the 1960s by Dr. Len McEwen in the United Kingdom. EPD uses much lower doses of antigens than conventional treatment, with the addition of an enzyme, β-glucuronidase. EPD is available in the United Kingdom,Canada for the treatment of hay fever, food allergy and intolerance and environmental allergies.

EPD was under development for the treatment of autoimmune disease by a United Kingdom company called Epidyme also owned by Dr. McEwen which has been granted a United Kingdom patent. Despite encouraging results [1] in an experimental model of rheumatoid arthritis the company was placed into liquidation in April 2010.[2]"

I believe if you look online Dr. McEwen's research was closed down because he tried to get sponsorship from his patients which was against medical practice.

A variation of the treatment (called Low Dose Allergen) is available today but to my knowledge not fully supported by the NHS. I am aware that there are Harley Street clinics offering the treatment today to whoever can afford it.