Successful trial treatment of diabetes

French and German scientists have successfully treated type 1 diabetes in mice with a vaccine made from biological ingredients in their own bodies. This success opens up the opportunity to use immunotherapy to treat autoimmune diseases in humans.

This vaccine includes modified antigenic structures of the mouse pancreas. It is also the structures that the mouse's immune system has mistakenly attacked in the case of mice with type 1 diabetes, a disease that results from autoimmune disorder - a disease of its own. free.

French and German scientists have successfully treated type 1 diabetes for mice with vaccines containing their pancreatic antigens.(Photo: Petwebsite)

Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system is no longer able to distinguish which 'my' structure (which is the body) and which structure 'is not mine ' (ie external factors that invade body) as in type 1 diabetes.

When this serious immune disorder occurs, the immune system, instead of protecting it, allows antibodies to attack the body's own components. Specifically, the immune system T lymphocytes destroy the pancreas cells, the insulin-producing organs, an essential endocrine to control the amount of sugar in the body.

Research results show that the modified antigen of the mice helps them fight autoimmune diseases. When mice are injected with this vaccine, their immune system will not attack their own bodies, helping restore the normal function of the immune system.

Although it is unclear about the cause and behavior of this mechanism of action, the team has demonstrated that the protective effect of the vaccine comes from the successful activation of oppressive cells. (suppressor cells) of the immune system.

These suppressed cells only prevent the activity of T-cells that are attacking parts of the body, not affecting the T-cells that are fighting off external agents from entering the body. , like viruses or bacteria. Thus, the immune system restores the body's ability to recognize biological structures and tolerate those structures and not attack.

Human pancreas.(Photo: Graphicpulse.com)

Dr. Rötzschke explains: 'That's why oppressive cells have become one of the focal points in immunological research. The suppression of adverse immune reactions by vaccination containing the body's own antigens will open a new and basic pathway in the treatment of autoimmune disease. '

With this success, experts say, in principle, they can treat autoimmune disease by stimulating the 'positive tolerance' of the immune system. According to the research team, the creation of the mouse's own immune antigen effect will open a new way to treat all autoimmune diseases.

Immunologists believe that this therapy can be used to treat not only type 1 diabetes but also many other autoimmune diseases.

This study was conducted by Dr. Roland S. Liblau of Purpan University Hospital in Toulouse (France), and Dr. Kirsten Falk and Olaf Rötzschke of Max Delbrück Molecular Medicine Center in Berlin-Buch (Germany) .

The research results are published in the electronic edition of the American Proceedings magazine of the National Academy of Sciences (USA).

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin, the endocrine substance necessary for glucose from the blood to enter the cell.

This disease comes from an autoimmune disorder, in which the body controls antibodies that attack insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The cause of this disorder is complex and unknown, but may involve factors such as genetics, viruses, diet, chemicals and the environment.

This disease has been called child diabetes because it is usually found in adolescence or youth. Patients with type 1 diabetes must be given insulin by injections, injections or other lifelong ways from the onset of illness. Patients can also be treated by pancreas transplantation or beta cells.

Immune is a collection of all biological mechanisms that help a multicellular body retain the connection between cells and tissues, ensure the integrity of the body by eliminating damaged components. broken as well as invasive substances and organisms.

The body protection function consists of two types of immune mechanisms, which appear in turn in species evolution and are closely related to higher animals, including: natural immunity (or non-specific immunity, instant response; and acquired immunity (specific immunity), able to respond after a few days, characterized by the ability to " remember ".

At the molecular level, both mechanisms are able to distinguish (" identify ") the body's components, ie " mine " with all other so-called " non- " molecules. I ".

Quang Thinh

According to Daily Science / Medical News Today / Diabetes / Wikipedia, VNN