PNAS: Engineered T cells can be used to treat autoimmune diseases

December 5, 2020 // -- A new study finds that new T-cells genetically engineered by health science researchers at the University of Arizona can target and attack pathogenic T-cells that cause type 1 diabetes, which could lead to new immunotherapy.
the immune system fights bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens by using several types of T-cells, all of which have specific to specific antigens.
in lethal T-cells, the subject works with three signaling modules and a co-perceptor to destroy infected cells.
Michael Kuhns, an associate professor in the Department of Immunobiology at the UArizona School of Medicine, engineered five modules of chisellular antigen-insular or 5MCAR T cells.
(Photo Source: www.pixabay.com) "We designed a 5MCAR that will direct killer T-cells to target autoimmune diseases that trigger type 1 diabetes.
, said Dr., who is a member of the UArizona Cancer Center, the BIO5 Institute and the Arizona Center for Aging.
", killer T cells will actually recognize another T cell.
Kuhns, in collaboration with Dr. Thomas Serwold of the Harvard Medical School Diabetes Center, tested 5MCAR T cells in a non-obese diabetic mouse model with encouraging results.
findings were recently published in the journal PNAS.
Serwold said: "When we saw that 5MCAR T cells completely eliminated harmful T cells that attack the pancreas, we were blown away.
""it's like they're chasing them.
this ability is why we think 5MCAR T cells have great potential in treating diseases such as type 1 diabetes.
" In 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved two types of cancer-specific chisellular antigens (CAR) T-cell therapy - one for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the other for adults with advanced lymphoma.
these CAR T cells focus only on the subject, not on the surrounding signaling modules or co-subjects.
Kuhns believes that by mimicking the form and function of natural T cells, researchers will be able to target antigens with greater sensitivity and specificity in the future.
this type of personalized immunotherapy is an important initiative of UArizona Health Sciences and is the focus of Dr. Kuhns' lab.
() Source: Genetically engineered T cells can lead to therapies for autoimmune diseases Original source: Shio Kobayashi et al, A biomimetic five-chi modulemeric antigen receptor (5MCAR) designed to target and eliminate antigen-specific T cells, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2012495117。