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news.Scientists have rejuvenated the immune systems of mice and humans by inhibiting gonadal steroids, offering new hope for patients with a number of conditions including cancer, AIDS and other immunodeficiencies.
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Researchers from Monash University in Australia have succeeded in revitalizing the thymus which produces the T cells required to fight infection but which shuts down from early adulthood.
“The ability to overcome these immune system deficiencies provides a completely new approach to treating cancer and may work in many other severe clinical conditions such as HIV/AIDS. It may also boost the effectiveness of vaccines to cancer and infections,” said associate professor Richard Boyd from the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories.
The study demonstrated that by using a skin implant slowly releasing a constant amount of leuteinizing hormone-releasing hormone, sex steroids could be inhibited and the thymus could be stimulated to re-grow.
The thymus releases new T cells, enhances T cell responses and improves recovery following bone marrow transplants. It also showed, for the first time, that prostate cancer patients who had their sex steroids temporarily blocked had increased levels of new T cells in their blood.
The researchers also found that inhibiting sex steroids improved the production of haemopoietic stem cells in bone marrow. These cells provide ‘fuel’ for the bone marrow and thymus to produce blood cells.
Because the scientists have been able to manipulate the way the thymus grows back, they believe they should be able to rebuild the immune system of patients who are receiving transplants so donor material is not rejected.
The researchers have initiated preclinical trials using the technology to induce immune tolerance to organ transplants. They are also planning clinical trials in leading US cancer centers on patients receiving chemotherapy and haemopoietic stem cell transplants.