There are at least about 80 autoimmun diseases known. A very seldom one is "Myasthenia Gravis" affecting 50 to 200 per million people with newly diagnosed in 3 to 30 per million people each year. It is a chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disease characterized by varying degrees of weakness of the skeletal (voluntary) muscles of the body.
In principle all of these autoimmun are caused by mislead of antibodies. Is there any new state of knowledge to "filter out", "to block" or "to neutralize" such dysfunktion?
With best regards
Michael
Dear Michael
Currently the strategies employed for treating autoimmune diseases include (1) suppression of autoantibody production with steroids or other immunosppressive drugs such as azathioprine, methotrexate or by knocking out B cells that produce antibodies (eg anti CD20 antibody rituximab) (2) immunomodulation with cyclosporine, mycophenylate and others (3) blocking of autoantibody binding to Fc receptors of immune effector cells with high dose intravenous immunoglobulin. I see that you are interested in nanomaterials. You may want to take up this challenge and raise nanoparticles that block autoantibodies? How about aptamers or molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) to target them?
Good luck
Siva
Hello Michael,
please see the attached links for the original data and an accompanying commentary on CAR T cells in autoimmune disease. To my knowledge this was the first report using engineered T cells against an autoreactive BCR/ autoreactive B cells (in a preclinical model of Pemphigus vulgaris). In theory one could specifically target autoreactive B cells and thus deplete circulating autoantibodies, though the approach has not proceeded into clinical trials.
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6295/179.long
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcibr1608900
All the best,
Michael
We have been treating a wide range of autoimmune diseases with depletion of autoantibody via B cell depletion with rituximab for some twenty years now. There is a certain degree of specificity in that autoantibodies appear to decline more than the bulk of protective antibodies, probably owing to being produced by short lived plasma cells. However, from the start the desire has been to remove autoantibodies specifically without impact on normal B cell function. This turns out to be a very difficult task for antibodies like rheumatoid factors but may be easier for antibodies to local antigens like AChR. A recent study by Radbruch and colleagues suggests that specific autoantibody deletion strategies may at last be feasible, but it is early days yet.
Hello dr. Michael Heine
Excellent question and thinking similar to that stimulation of cellular and humoral immunity IMIT with vaccinations selectively reinforce our immune system to fight malignant diseases!
Here is the exact opposite to neutralize created autoantibodies to destruct own organism naturally selectively without derogating from immunity as a whole! The best example is the use of immunosuppressants in transplantation immunology (Cyclosporine, Takrolimus- (FK-506), Mycophenolate mofetil, cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, monoclonal antibodies (Baksilizimab and so on .... etc!
Their task is to inhibit only one lineage cells, or a segment of the immune response (e.g. Ciclosporin inhibits the activity of a member of T lymphocytes and create THROUGH THE IL-2 as a possible stimulator rejection or helper CD-3 and CD-cells etc., leaves intact humoral immunity and only a smaller part derogates cellular immunity responsible for organ rejection!
This is a very successful working of detection Cyclosporine, Tacrolimus, monoclonal antibodies, etc. to derogate only a small part of that immunity selectively participate in these reactions rejection (T helper cells and IL2)!
I think this is the best example-principle to go on inhibition and neutralizing autoantibodies in our body and not to derogate from the immunity to a large extent and thus provoke serious consequences!
Absolutely agree with answers buddy up, their proper considerations and dilemmas, because here not at all easy to get to the solving of this problem!
Still with me optimistic I am a transplant immune and it's a lot of good done in the past 40-50 years and I hope that those who are engaged in the field of autoimmune diseases to find a way to eliminate them naturally selective as in transplantation and to not derogate stronger whole immune system!
Regards
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