Discovery of a cure of MS shows potential can kill brain cells

The researchers found in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Alberta that some “preventive” (T cells) can kill nerve cells. This discovery is important for a particular type of T-cell therapy is being touted in the medical community as a potential treatment for MS and other autoimmune conditions.

Collaborated Dr. Fabrizio Giuliani and his colleagues in the post-doctoral, Johannes Haile, both from the Division of Neurology, the study, published recently in the journal Biology of white blood cells, peer-reviewed medical journal.

“He was seen using T cells as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases,” says Dr. Giuliani. “But these cells that are supposed to be regulatory, when activated, they can kill. In our hands, at least, they were able to kill nerve cells, so this is very important. MA in literature, were beginning to talk about the use of injection of these cells in the treatment, and this area needs more study before using these cells as a treatment for patients with multiple sclerosis. ”

It was found by accident, “says Giuliani.

“We use some of the cells we have described here as a control in our project. T-cells then did something interesting, something we did not expect, in fact, we expect the exact opposite response with these cells.

“We were looking at how a particular type of T cells that can prevent the death of nerve cells and then discovered they were doing the killing … and this is the best results – when you expect something different and then I noticed an amazing phenomenon.”

(T cells) are very important – its primary role is to attack bacteria, viruses or foreign organization or maintaining the immune system tolerance. However, when the disruption of T cell tolerance, they can cause autoimmune diseases.

The researchers believe the medical community if they carefully collect regulatory cells (T) and injected into patients who suffer from autoimmune diseases, and these (T cells) can keep autoimmune diseases under control. The work with laboratory models that MS and were treated by T-cells is promising. Humans, but recent studies of human cells showed that the herds of different T cells – some do not have a regulatory function.

Brain Cells

Giuliani and worked with Haile herds of different T cells and discovered some of them are toxic to nerve cells. Giuliani and his fellow medical researchers are the first to demonstrate that the activation of a specific type of T-cells can kill brain cells.

They want to continue to work in this area to determine what causes some of the T cells behave in this way.

“We want to take more research, we want to continue this story in an attempt to try to solve the puzzle.”