Posted on 12/25/2011 11:25:41 AM PST by decimon
A team of Weizmann Institute scientists has turned the tables on an autoimmune disease. In such diseases, including Crohn's and rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's tissues. But the scientists managed to trick the immune systems of mice into targeting one of the body's players in autoimmune processes, an enzyme known as MMP9. The results of their research appear today in Nature Medicine.
Prof. Irit Sagi of the Biological Regulation Department and her research group have spent years looking for ways to home in on and block members of the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) enzyme family. These proteins cut through such support materials in our bodies as collagen, which makes them crucial for cellular mobilization, proliferation and wound healing, among other things. But when some members of the family, especially MMP9, get out of control, they can aid and abet autoimmune disease and cancer metastasis. Blocking these proteins might lead to effective treatments for a number of diseases.
Originally, Sagi and others had designed synthetic drug molecules to directly target MMPs. But these drugs proved to be fairly crude tools that had extremely severe side effects. The body normally produces its own MMP inhibitors, known as TIMPs, as part of the tight regulation program that keeps these enzymes in line. As opposed to the synthetic drugs, these work in a highly selective manner. An arm on each TIMP is precisely constructed to reach into a cleft in the enzyme that shelters the active bit – a metal zinc ion surrounded by three histidine peptides – closing it off like a snug cork. 'Unfortunately,' says Sagi, 'it is quite difficult to reproduce this precision synthetically.'
(Excerpt) Read more at eurekalert.org ...
Ping
My family has gotten out of control with their mp9s. Shot up the neighborhood.
I asked the Oracle, “What is the matrix metalloproteinase?”.
Thank God. It’s heartbreaking to watch a mouse suffer with autoimmune disease.
A Christmas story where you really feel good inside, don’t you know?
Oops, I thought you said heart warming, not heart breaking. My bad.
“Pinky, are you pondering what I’m pondering?”
“I dunno, Bwain...but I feel as fit as a fiddle!”
...oh, and Merry Christmas!
A cure for Crohns or Rheumatoid Arthritis would be a really wonderful step forward for medicine, improving the lives of many millions of people.
Mark
You had to go and mess up this thread with a serious comment?
Bless you. I hope they find something soon. And I agree.
Bookmark
Yes. I agree and bless you Mark. Glad to hear it has been awhile.
Take a hike. Idiot.
I also suffer from this. This is good news.
bump for chrone’s cure.
I really hope this pans out. It's been nearly 2 years since my last serious Crohns disease flare up (I spent all of Feb & March, 2010 in the hospital, the first month on IV antibiotics), I've had 9 surgeries in less than 2 years, and I still haven't gotten "back to normal," though I've been back at work - But that's about all I do now.
A cure for Crohns or Rheumatoid Arthritis would be a really wonderful step forward for medicine, improving the lives of many millions of people.
This was brilliant, IMHO.
FReepmail me if you want on or off my combined microbiology/immunology ping list.
Ping! (Thanks, decimon!)
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