3/29/2010 PERMALINK
Enhancing the activity of certain immune cells may offer cure for arthritis & other autoimmune diseases. By enhancing the activity of immune cells that protect against runaway inflammation, researchers may have found a novel therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. In a new study the researchers reveal how treating these immune cells with an investigational drug wards off inflammation by holding a particular enzyme at bay. 'This is an unusual mechanism that could provide a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory diseases like Crohn's disease,' says Michael Dustin, PhD, the Irene Diamond Professor of Immunology and professor of pathology at NYU Langone Medical Center.