Without immunosuppression
A way has been found to transplant cells into the brain without suppressing the immune system
Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+
In some rare congenital diseases, glial cells do not work properly in the brain and myelin is formed – a coating of neurons that participates in their protection and transmission of nerve impulses. One of these diseases is Peliceus–Merzbacher syndrome, which is characterized by partial paralysis and inability to sit and walk.
Since such conditions are caused by a mutation that damages a single cell type, they seem to be an ideal target for cell therapy. Unfortunately, it is impossible to simply transplant healthy cells into the brain – they will be attacked by the immune system. As a result, patients who have undergone cell therapy have to take immunosuppressants, which makes them vulnerable to other infections, reducing the quality of life.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University has developed a technique that allows glial cells to be transplanted into the brain without suppressing the immune system. It is based on the manipulation of T-cells.
According to a press release from In study, transplanted brain stem cells survive without anti-rejection drugs, scientists focused on stimulating signals that regulate the work of T cells. With the help of CTLA4-Ig and anti-CD154 antibodies, they trained T cells in such a way that they stopped perceiving transplants as a threat.
Previously, a similar technique has already been used in the transplantation of various organs in animals, but the team used it for the first time when transplanting glial cells that produce myelin.
During the experiments, the team injected glowing glial cells into the brains of experimental mice, which are easy to track.
Three groups of rodents participated in the experiment: normal individuals; individuals unable to produce their own myelin; and individuals with a suppressed immune response. In addition to the transplant, some of them received injections of antibodies for six days.
In mice from the control group that were not treated with antibodies, the transplanted cells died after 21 days.
The treated rodents maintained high levels of transplanted cells for 203 days. Moreover, the transplants actively populated the brain and began to produce myelin.
In the future, the team plans to combine their approach with new methods of delivering cells to the brain.
Article by Li et al. Induction of immunological tolerance to myelinogenic glial-restricted progenitor allografts is published in the journal Brain – VM.
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