Vaccine May Halt Autoimmune Disease

A synthetic vaccine based on nanotechnology may halt autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s and rheumatoid arthritis. The vaccine works by tricking the immune system into producing antibodies that target an enzyme that causes autoimmune diseases.

With autoimmune diseases, some members of the enzyme family, especially the enzyme matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), get out of control. MMPs are normally held in check naturally by inhibitor molecules called TIMPs, and previous attempts to mimic TIMPs with artificial drugs have produced serious side effects. Rather than target the MMPs directly, researchers at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel, created tiny metallic vaccine molecules that fool the immune system into manufacturing its own MMP-suppressing antibodies. When tested on mice with a rodent version of Crohn’s, the vaccine significantly reduced their symptoms. Untreated mice suffered severe damage to their colons, while those injected with the vaccine experienced only “limited” inflammation.

More research is needed before experts can be sure the therapy is safe for humans. The research was published in the journal Nature Medicine.