UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have developed a promising strategy for treating ulcerative colitis by leveraging mechanisms that cancer cells use to evade immune attacks. The findings, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, offer potential relief for millions worldwide suffering from autoimmune conditions.
Senior author Dr. Andrew Wang, Professor and Vice Chair of Translational Research at UT Southwestern, explained that they are repurposing a mechanism used by cancer for good. While the immune system can recognize and combat cancers, tumors can develop ways to evade immune responses, suppressing immune cell activity. Conversely, autoimmune conditions arise when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells.
The researchers aimed to retrain the immune system by mimicking cancer's tactics, suppressing immune activity against specific cell types targeted in autoimmune diseases. Previous studies applied this approach to animal models of Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, and the current study focuses on ulcerative colitis.
Ulcerative colitis, a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the colon, currently has no cure and is managed with immunosuppressors, which have long-term health complications. In a mouse model of ulcerative colitis, the researchers injected a combination of colon cells, extracellular matrix, and polymer nanofibers carrying proteins that cancer cells use to suppress immune activity.
The injections significantly alleviated symptoms of ulcerative colitis, reduced inflammation, and promoted colon healing. The treatment also decreased the number of cancerous colon tumors by 60%, addressing the increased cancer risk associated with ulcerative colitis. Importantly, the injections selectively targeted immune activity against the colon without broadly suppressing immunity in the body.
Dr. Wang suggests that this combination injection approach could be a promising treatment for ulcerative colitis and potentially other autoimmune diseases. The researchers have filed a patent to develop this strategy into a clinical treatment.
These findings open new avenues for developing innovative treatments that could enhance the quality of life for individuals with autoimmune conditions.
Tags: Bleeding, Cancer, Cell, Chronic, Chronic Disease, Colon, Colon Cancer, Diabetes, Diarrhea, Education, Immune System, Immunity, Immunotherapy, Inflammation, Medicine, Melanoma, Mouse Model, Multiple Sclerosis, Oncology, pH, Research, Sclerosis, Type 1 Diabetes, Ulcerative Colitis, Weight Loss
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