Gaithersburg, Md., April 25, 2016 - MedImmune, the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, today announced that it has achieved a significant scientific milestone by publishing three manuscripts in Nature Immunology that advance the understanding of the immune system and highlight underlying mechanisms in two little-understood disease areas -- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). These include:
1. The Immune System and COPD: "Inflammatory triggers associated with COPD exacerbations orchestrate ILC2 plasticity in the lung"
2. The Immune System and ILCs: "IL-1 is a critical regulator of Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cell function and plasticity"
3. The Immune System and lupus: "Self-reactive IgE exacerbates interferon responses associated with autoimmunity"
"At MedImmune, we put great emphasis on science and understanding the pathophysiology of disease," said Bahija Jallal, Executive Vice President, MedImmune. "The novel findings presented in Nature Immunology challenge the status quo, further our understanding of COPD and lupus, and most importantly, will help increase the scientific community's understanding of the immune system. Hopefully this will bring us one step closer to developing more effective treatments for patients in the future."
The Immune System and COPD
Published today, "Inflammatory triggers associated with COPD exacerbations orchestrate ILC2 plasticity in the lung" , researchers studied the way that a type of immune cell known as ILC2 changes when exposed to stimuli such as cigarette smoke and/or infection. Previous research had indicated that smoking alters the immune system's activity in the lungs, and has noticeable effects that seem to skew the activity of ILC2s. Study highlights:
"Our research shows how versatile and adaptive the immune system can be," said Alison Humbles, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, MedImmune. "By simply converting one into another, the immune system can switch between ILC2-associated tissue protection and ILC1-driven inflammation. This research is a significant step toward understanding the pathogenesis of chronic diseases like COPD and can guide future therapeutic strategies."
The Immune System and ILCs
Also published today, "IL-1 is a critical regulator of Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cell function and plasticity" , researchers provided further mechanistic insights into how the switch between ILC1s and ILC2s is regulated in human cells. This study shows that the adaptability (or "plasticity") of ILC2s is mediated by a kind of master switch known as IL-1. Study highlights:
"This research opens an entirely new line of investigation into ILC2s," said Yoichiro Ohne, Ph.D., Scientist, MedImmune. "We now know more about ILC2s, how their activity and plasticity are regulated and key triggers, which gives us multiple options in targeting their activity in situations where we think they're driving disease. This is an important step in the search for potential therapeutics that can restrain inflammation cycles that are excessive and damaging, such as in COPD."
The Immune System and Lupus (SLE)
In another Nature Immunology article published in the February 2016 issue, " Self-reactive IgE exacerbates interferon responses associated with autoimmunity" , researchers showed that IgE -- an antibody most commonly known to target allergens and produce the histamine response in people with allergies -- can also malfunction and target the body's own DNA. This triggers pathogenic secretion of an immune system activator molecule called IFN-α, which ultimately causes the tissue damage associated with lupus. Study highlights:
"This research has led to a groundbreaking discovery that IgE leads a double life as a trigger of allergy symptoms and a self-destructive agent in SLE. These findings could have tremendous implications for the lupus community," said Miguel Sanjuan, Ph.D., Researcher, MedImmune. "In addition to the potential of targeting IgE in lupus patients, these findings show the scientific research community that there is a new realm of previously unknown activity of IgE that unleashes its pathogenic potential beyond orchestrating allergy symptoms, which may also be responsible for other autoimmune conditions."
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About MedImmune:
MedImmune is the global biologics research and development arm of AstraZeneca, a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business that focuses on the discovery, development and commercialization of small molecule and biologic prescription medicines. MedImmune is pioneering innovative research and exploring novel pathways across key therapeutic areas, including respiratory, inflammation and autoimmunity; cardiovascular and metabolic disease; oncology; neuroscience; and infection and vaccines. The MedImmune headquarters is located in Gaithersburg, MD, and is one of AstraZeneca's three global R&D centers, with additional sites in Cambridge, UK and Mountain View, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.medimmune.com .
Contacts:
Tracy Rossin
MedImmune
rossint@medimmune.com
301-398-1468
Nature Immunology