Breakthrough Inverse Vaccine Could Treat Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Diseases
Researchers at the University of Chicago‘s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have announced a significant breakthrough in the field of vaccine development. They claim to have developed a new type of vaccine, known as an inverse vaccine, that could potentially treat multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases. Traditional vaccines work by teaching the immune system to recognize and attack specific viruses or bacteria. In contrast, the inverse vaccine aims to remove the immune system’s memory of a particular molecule.
The researchers from the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering note that erasing immune memory would be undesirable for infectious diseases. However, when it comes to autoimmune diseases, where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells, immune memory erasure could potentially halt autoimmune reactions. This breakthrough could have implications for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and other autoimmune conditions.
The inverse vaccine exploits the liver’s natural mechanism for marking molecules from broken down cells with markers that prevent autoimmune reactions to cells that undergo natural processes of degradation. To create the vaccine, the researchers combined an antigen, which is the molecule being attacked by the immune system, with a molecule that resembles a fragment of an aging cell. This molecule would be recognized by the liver as harmless. By utilizing this approach, the researchers demonstrated how the vaccine could effectively stop the autoimmune reaction associated with an MS-like disease.
While the primary function of the immune system’s T cells is to recognize and eliminate foreign cells in the body, sometimes these cells make mistakes and attack normal tissue. For instance, in multiple sclerosis, T cells treat myelin, the protective covering around nerves, as foreign and attack it. Similarly, in Crohn’s disease, T cells target cells in the small intestine.
To address this issue, Jeffrey Hubbell, a professor of Tissue Engineering and the lead author of the research, and his colleagues decided to leverage the liver’s process of peripheral immune tolerance. They discovered that molecules tagged with a specific sugar called N-acetylgalactosamine (pGal) mimic peripheral immune tolerance. By attaching any desired molecule to pGal, the researchers found that they could teach the immune system to tolerate it. This approach suppresses immunity in a targeted and specific manner, rather than boosting it as in traditional vaccines.
The researchers tested this approach in an animal model with an MS-like disease by linking myelin proteins to pGal. They observed that the immune system ceased attacking myelin, restoring nerve function and reversing MS symptoms. Further studies demonstrated that this new method also had the potential to minimize other ongoing immune reactions.
Safety trials for the inverse vaccine approach have already been conducted in people with celiac disease, while further trials are underway in individuals with MS. These trials are being conducted by the pharmaceutical company Anokion SA, which was co-founded by Hubbell.
The hope is that the inverse vaccine approach will prove more effective than current treatments for autoimmune diseases, which typically involve broadly blocking immune responses. Such treatments leave patients vulnerable to infections and other side effects. Hubbell emphasized the potential of inverse vaccines, saying, If we could treat patients with an inverse vaccine instead, it could be much more specific and lead to fewer side effects.
While there are currently no clinically approved inverse vaccines, the researchers are determined to push this technology forward and explore its potential in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. With ongoing studies and trials showing promising results, the potential for a new era in autoimmune disease treatment may be on the horizon.
