Scientists have claimed that they believe they have discovered a way to stop autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis or Type 1 diabetes.
In a new study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at the University of Bristol claim that the diseases could be stopped if the immune system was retrained.
The researchers at the University of Bristol have described their findings as very “important breakthrough” which shows that the immune system can be taught to stop treating harmless everyday proteins as if they were dangerous invasive diseases.
Dr. Bronwen Burton, the author of the study, said: “ The immune system works by recognizing antigens, which could cause infection. In allergies, the immune system mounts a response to something like pollen or nuts because it wrongly believes they will harm the body.
“But in the autoimmune diseases, the immune system sees little protein fragments in your own tissue as foreign invaders and starts attacking them. What we have found is that by synthesizing those proteins in a soluble form, we can desensitize the immune system by giving an escalating dose.”
“These findings have important implications for the many patients suffering from autoimmune conditions that are currently difficult to treat,” he added
