A new study published in the journal Nature Communications claims that British scientists believe they have discovered a way to stop autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis or Type 1 diabetes by retraining the immune system.
The study was published by researchers from Bristol University, and claims that the immune system can be taught to stop treating harmless everyday proteins as if they were dangerous invasive diseases.
For the moment that includes Multiple sclerosis (MS) and Type 1 diabetes but may lead to other auto-immune diseases such as Crohns and Colitis.
By synthesizing proteins from the sheaths in a lab and then injecting them into the blood stream at increasing doses, the body begins to learn that they are safe and no longer attacks them.
Researchers at the University of Bristol have said that this is a very āimportant breakthroughā and could help cure or better treat the diseases in their current state.
The studyās author Dr. Bronwen Burton said that āThe immune system works by recognizing antigens which could cause infection. In allergies the immune system mounts a response to something like pollen or nuts because it wrongly believes they will harm the body.
āBut in autoimmune diseases the immune systems sees little protein fragments in your own tissue as foreign invaders and starts attacking them. What we have found is that by synthesizing those proteins in a soluble form we can desensitize the immune system by giving an escalating dose.ā
āThese findings have important implications for the many patients suffering from autoimmune conditions that are currently difficult to treat,ā he added.