Autoimmune

Scientists may have uncovered a new therapy for multiple sclerosis, involving an inflammation-regulating lipid. Tests in mice showed that the lipid reduced symptoms and slowed disease progression, hinting at an underlying mechanism for the condition.

In pursuit of a treatment for alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss, scientists have found new success by repurposing a common arthritis drug which proved effective in around a third of subjects.

Evidence is mounting that innocuous viral infections can in some cases cascade into a range of serious diseases. In a new study in mice, researchers uncovered a mechanism by which a common childhood virus could play a role in autoimmune diseases.

A new understanding of the way the body teaches immune cells to fight off threats has raised hopes of advanced treatments for autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis, along with other diseases such as cancer.

Data from a large placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating the effects of daily vitamin D and omega-3 found those taking vitamin D alone, or in conjunction with omega-3, showed lower rates of autoimmune disease compared to those taking placebo.

Cedars-Sinai researchers are reporting even mild COVID-19 cases show lingering signs of an overactive immune system months after the acute disease, and experts are concerned the current wave of Omicron infections could lead to huge rates of long COVID.

Spotted salamanders are unique among vertebrates, in that they're the only ones whose embryos have an algae living inside them. Scientists are now hoping that a better understanding of this symbiotic relationship could lead to new drugs for humans.

The immune system is a powerful weapon, but sometimes it can attack things that are trying to help us. A new preclinical treatment could one day help, using a kind of “reverse vaccine” to train the immune system to ignore specific drugs or molecules.

A peptide called MOTS-c shows promise in preventing type 1 diabetes, in new tests in human cells in culture and live mice. The peptide regulates the immune system, potentially leading to treatments for type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases.

Inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, are unpleasant, chronic conditions with few treatment options. Now, researchers may have found a way to potentially “switch on” the body’s natural tissue repair system.

Crohn’s disease is an inflammatory bowel condition triggered by an overactive immune system. Now researchers have developed a new kind of immunotherapy for Crohn’s that delivers a “triple punch” by tweaking the responses of different immune cells.

A study investigating the relationship between the gut microbiome, genetics, and MS, is suggesting bacteria certainly plays a role in modulating the effects of the disease but whether that role is positive or negative may be determined by genetics.