Cell Rep: New discoveries in the field of malaria help HIV treatment

November 22, 2019 / biourn / - according to a recent study, researchers from Australia have found that the immune system's response to malaria infection may help develop new treatments for hepatitis C, HIV and lupus Using laboratory models, researchers found that intense inflammatory signals from malaria infection activate specific molecules that trigger the production of highly effective antibodies against disease The results were published in cell reports (image source: www Pixabay Com) Dr Hansen and her team have been exploring how the host immune system responds to malaria infection for the past decade "In our previous paper, we demonstrated that inflammatory signals activate molecules that block the development of helper T cells, which means that B cells do not have the necessary instructions to make antibodies When we start this study, we expect to see that inflammation also has a negative effect on B cells In fact, we find the opposite The inflammatory signal is transmitted to B cells to improve the quality of the antibody Dr Hansen said she hoped the findings would play a role beyond malaria "I think this discovery provides an opportunity to treat chronic viral infections and autoimmune diseases," she said We have identified molecular 'switches' that drive the immune system to produce powerful antibodies, as well as inflammatory signals that affect its function For this molecule or other molecules in the same pathway, it can provide precise means to treat these diseases In chronic infections, including malaria and viral infections, such as HIV and chronic hepatitis C, the production of very high-quality and effective antibodies is essential to eliminate infection On the other hand, B cells that can produce antibodies against autoantigens (proteins and tissues of human body) are the root cause of autoimmune diseases, such as lupus "We hope to create vaccines or therapies that can" turn on "inflammatory molecular signals to help produce these high-quality B cells to better resist chronic infection, or" turn off "the same molecules in autoimmune diseases to stop producing autoimmune B cells, so as to treat autoimmune diseases such as lupus." Information sources: malaria discovery could lead to better HIV and lupus treatments Original sources: Ann ly, Yang Liao, Halina pietrzak, Lisa J Ioannidis, Tom Sidwell, Rene glory, Marcel doerfringer, Tony triglia, Raymond Z Qin, Joanna R groom, Gabrielle t Belz, Kim L good Jacobson, Wei Shi, Axel kallies, Diana S Hansen Transcription Factor T-bet in B Cells Modulates Germinal Center Polarization and Antibody Affinity Maturation in Response to Malaria Cell Reports , 2019; 29 (8): 2257 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.10.087