Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering at the University of Chicago have made a breakthrough. A groundbreaking solution called the "inverse vaccine" has been introduced to treat autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and Crohn's disease.
Autoimmune diseases impact approximately 1 in 10 people globally. These conditions arise when the immune system erroneously targets and attacks healthy cells and tissues within the body. Regrettably, there is currently no known cure for autoimmune diseases. To cope with the symptoms, patients had to depend on a combination of medications, operations, and dietary changes.
How does this inverse vaccine work?
Jeffrey Hubbell, a professor in tissue engineering at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, University of Chicago and the study's lead author, explained that traditional vaccines stimulate immune cell activation to fight disease but the reverse vaccine takes a different approach to immunizing the immune system from autoimmune diseases instead of boosting the immune response. This means deactivating immune cells that have been wrongly authorized to attack the body's cells and generating regulatory T cells, which unwind immunity in autoimmune diseases instead of ramping up the immune response which helps suppress the immune response. Instead of weakening the immune system, this strategy will give a more focused and exact treatment.
Autoimmune diseases often involve the immune system attacking specific molecules and cells in the body. Inverse vaccines allow scientists to target specific immune responses without suppressing the entire immune system, that is the approach to current therapies.
Researchers used a mouse model of multiple sclerosis to study autoimmune encephalitis, an autoimmune condition characterized by an immune attack on myelin, the protective coating of nerves. When the inverse vaccine was administered, the results were remarkable—immune attacks on myelin ceased, allowing nerves to function correctly, and reversing the disease's symptoms in the mice.
All of the body's natural functions are used by the new vaccination.
The liver plays a major role in recognizing the harmless substances of the dead cells and preventing the immune attack on them. The inverse vaccine mimics this manner by coupling an antigen with a molecule that resembles debris from aged cells, basically "hijacking" the body's mechanisms to preserve tolerance and prevent autoimmune reactions.
Autoimmune signs and symptoms encompass aches, fatigue, muscle spasms, and infection. Conditions like cancer, organ damage, dementia, and heart disease can be a matter of concern. Inverse vaccines show a lot of potential for treating autoimmune illnesses.
For diseases like celiac disease and multiple sclerosis, clinical trials are underway.
If the vaccination turns out to be effective, this approach may replace complex immunomodulatory medicinal drugs, reduce side effects, and provide effective treatment. If the inversion vaccine turns out to be approved by physicians, which is currently not widely available, it would represent a significant advancement in providing hope and treatment to those suffering from autoimmune conditions.
Hope for autoimmune disease research comes from the opportunity of extra treatment plans or extra-centered remedies. For those with autoimmune illnesses, it offers a ray of hope.
Reference
1) https://pme.uchicago.edu/news/inverse-vaccine-shows-potential-treat-multiple-sclerosis-and-other-autoimmune-diseases
2) https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00457-9/fulltext
(Rehash/Arpita Meher)