New Technique Promises Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

Feb-19-13 By using cells to block other cells intent on attacking the body’s tissues, scientists may have developed a new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

In autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s immune system fails to recognize the tags that identify “self” cells and, as a result, will attack those healthy cells. During their research, scientists injected mice with a protein that triggers the arthritis- causing, auto-immune reaction while also giving the mice infusions of CD8 Treg cells, which play an important role in turning off the body’s immune response when it is no longer required. Peptid agents were used to expand the rodents’ own pool of CD8 Tregs, which then identified and eliminated the CD4 T helper cells that spur the body’s antibodies to attack healthy cells. When the CD8 Treg infusions were combined with low doses of methotrexate, a commonly used drug for rheumatoid arthritis, the arthritic process was significantly slowed.

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