New regulator of immune responses discovered

Scientists have identified a new internal regulator that helps control the body’s response to fight infection.

The discovery could be a target for new drugs to tackle autoimmune diseases, such as lupus and scleroderma, where healthy tissues are attacked by the body’s own immune system.

“We want to put a brake on the body’s own immune system to stop it turning on itself,” said Dr Elton Zeqiraj from the School of Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Leeds.

“Our discovery has the potential to help us find a new drug to target this regulator, to suppress the immune system and stop the body destroying its own cells, even when there is no infection present. Read more.