Tissues derived from embryonic stem (ES) cells could help to pacify the immune system and so prevent recipients from rejecting them, the UK National Stem Cell Network Science Meeting will hear today. Speaking at the conference in Edinburgh, Dr Paul Fairchild from the University of Oxford will tell delegates that although tissues derived from ES cells succumb to rejection, they have an inherent immune-privilege which, if exploited, could have far reaching implications for the treatment of conditions such as diabetes, heart attacks and Parkinson’s.
The exciting potential of ES cells for use in regenerative medicine may only be realised by better understanding of how to manage the body’s immune response to them. With funding from the Medical Research Council, Dr Fairchild and Dr Nathan Robertson are investigating whether tissues derived from ES cells will be rejected in the conventional manner or whether the recipients will not recognise them as foreign.
So far, their findings suggest that, while ES cells are fully susceptible to rejection, they do display some underlying immune privilege which, with better understanding, could be harnessed to promote the activity of regulatory T-cells to suppress activation of the immune system.
Dr Paul Fairchild, explains: “Our work provides hope that the immune system may be persuaded to accept tissues derived from ES cells more readily than has been the case for tissues and organs from conventional sources. It appears that ES cell-derived tissues contribute to their own acceptance by creating an environment conducive to T cell regulation, which may one day be harnessed therapeutically.”
The Oxford team generated a panel of ES cell lines from strains of mice that differed from recipients by increasing levels of genetic disparity and used them as a source of tissues for transplantation. Their results show that while minor differences between the two strains provoke prompt rejection in the absence of immune suppression, ES cells do show an underlying tendency for immune privilege.
The next stage of the team’s work is to explore further the molecular and cellular basis of this immune-privilege, whether it might be augmented therapeutically and whether unwanted viruses or tumours could exploit ES cell-derived tissues as a safe-haven where they can evade the normal immune response.
Source: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Related stories:
Vitamin D a key player in overall health of several body organs, says UC Riverside biochemist
Essential for life in higher animals, vitamin D, once linked to only bone diseases such as rickets and osteoporosis, is now recognized as a major player in contributing to overall human health, emphasizes UC Riverside's Anthony Norman, an international expert on vitamin D.
Scientists pinpoint key proteins in blood stem cell replication
A family of cancer-fighting molecules helps blood stem cells in mice decide when and how to divide, say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Blocking the molecules' function spurs the normally resting cells to begin proliferating strangely - making too much of one kind of cell and not enough of another. Many types of human blood cancers involve a similar disruption in the expression of that same family of molecules.
Too many calories send the brain off kilter
An overload of calories throws critical portions of the brain out of whack, reveals a study in the October 3rd issue of the journal
Cell, a Cell Press publication. That response in the brain's hypothalamus—the "headquarters" for maintaining energy balance -- can happen even in the absence of any weight gain, according to the new studies in mice.
Hybrid Nanoparticles Image and Treat Tumors
(PhysOrg.com) -- By combining a magnetic nanoparticle, a fluorescent quantum dot, and an anticancer drug within a lipid-based nanoparticle, a multi-institutional research team headed by members of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer has created a single agent that can image and treat tumors. In addition, this new nanoparticle is able to avoid detection by the immune system, enabling the particle to remain in the body for extended periods of time.
Research indicates new virus is culprit, not bystander, in deadly skin cancer
University of Pittsburgh scientists are uncovering more evidence that a virus they recently discovered is the cause of Merkel cell carcinoma, an aggressive and deadly form of skin cancer.
Type 1 diabetes may result from good genes behaving badly
New research from Stanford University scientists suggests that type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease that develops in children and young adults, may not be due to bad genes but rather to good genes behaving badly.
Team finds genetic link between immune and nerve systems
DURHAM, N.C. —Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered genetic links between the nervous system and the immune system in a well-studied worm, and the findings could illuminate new approaches to human therapies.
Viral 'magic bullet' targets cancer cells with help of new compound
Researchers at McGill University and the affiliated Lady Davis Research Institute of the Jewish General Hospital – along with colleagues at the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Health Research Institute (OHRI)–report a significant breakthrough in the use of viruses to target and destroy cancer cells, a field known as oncolytic virotherapy. Their results were published in the September early edition of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).