"MATO" AUTOIMMUUNISAIRAUKSIEN HOITOON?

[Bb]

Lähettäjä: Soijuv Lähetetty: 13.7.2004 12:13

Englantilaiset tutkijat ovat löytäneet trooppisen "madon", joka kykenee alentamaan elimistön immuunijärjestelmää. Toiveena on että siitä saataisiin apua erilaisiin autoimmuunisairauksiin. Nykyiset autoimmuunisairauksien hoitoon käytetyt lääkkeet esim. kortisonit aiheuttavat lukuisia ongelmia mm. heikentämällä elimistön immuunijärjestelmää kokonaisuudessaan. Tämän seurauksena elimistön kyky selviytyä erilaisista infektioista heikkenee.


http://www.obgyn.net/newsheadlines/head ... 0319-1.asp
Parasitic worm may end suffering for up to 6 million U.K. patients

Autoimmune Disease

March 19, 2003

The University of Strathclyde is celebrating a proof-of-concept award for a project that may end the suffering of up to 6 million people in the U.K. Researchers have found that a tropical parasitic worm may hold the key to relieving some of the world's most painful and debilitating autoimmune diseases such as lupus, psoriasis, and Crohn disease.

There are currently no cures for most autoimmune diseases. Existing treatments tackle the condition by suppressing the body's immune system, leaving the patient less able to fight off other infections. Researchers have now found that filarial nematodes, a class of parasitic worm that infects humans and animals, secrete an anti-inflammatory molecule known as "ES-62" into its host, without producing any obvious side effects or compromising the immune system.

"This discovery is very exciting and it may help explain an observation that has puzzled scientists and clinicians for decades: the reduced incidence of autoimmune diseases in areas of high nematode worm transmission," said project leader Professor William Harnett of the University of Strathclyde's department of immunology. "It still seems ironic, however, that a parasitic worm which lives off humans may also provide a means to relieve suffering for millions of people. We hope to produce a derivative of the worm's anti-inflammatory molecule and use it as the basis for a drug. Thanks to our collaboration with the University of Glasgow, we are in an ideal position to see this research right through to clinical trial stage, where we can really make a difference to patients' lives."

Although the proof-of-concept funding has been awarded to the University of Strathclyde, the research will be carried out jointly with the University of Glasgow. In the spirit of Synergy, the Universities' commitment to recognizing each other as 'preferred partners' in research, Harnett will work with his wife, Dr. Margaret Harnett, an immunologist at the University of Glasgow. The academics will work closely with clinician Iain McInnes, professor of experimental medicine at the University of Glasgow and consultant rheumatologist at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

The project has been inspired by previous, preliminary research conducted by the team on rheumatoid arthritis, and it is expected that the success from this research can be applied to autoimmune diseases in general.

"I am delighted that Strathclyde and Glasgow Universities are leading the way with this research," said McInnes. "We desperately need new treatments for autoimmune diseases. Existing treatments, even the newest, most innovative ones, have limitations. They do not work for everybody and the side effects can be debilitating in themselves. The prospect of treating painful inflammatory diseases with a drug that doesn't completely suppress the patient's immune system is a major medical breakthrough." This article was prepared by Immunotherapy Weekly editors from staff and other reports.