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Bad Antibodies Made Good: The Immune System's Secret Weapon Uncovered

posted by chromas on Sunday April 22 2018, @11:47AM   Printer-friendly
from the redeemed-to-protect dept.

mrpg writes:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180412141052.htm

In a world first, scientists from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research have revealed how a population of 'bad' antibodies in the immune system -- which are usually 'silenced' because they can harm the body -- can provide crucial protection against invading microbes. The research was carried out in mice.

The 'bad' antibodies are known to react against the body's own tissues and can cause autoimmune disease. For this reason, it was once thought that they were discarded by the immune system or that they were made inactive in the long term. However, the new findings show for the first time that 'bad' antibodies go through a rapid 'redemption' process and are activated when the body is faced with a disease threat that other antibodies cannot tackle.

As a result, the 'redeemed' antibodies no longer threaten the body, but instead become powerful weapons to fight disease -- and particularly diseases that evade the immune system by disguising themselves to look like normal body tissue.

DOI: 10.1126/science.aao3859 [DX]

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  • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 22 2018, @05:11PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 22 2018, @05:11PM (#670400)

    This is why you shouldn't piss off your immune system. Do that, it pulls out the big guns, and you take collateral damage.

    I'm reminded of the military helicopter pilot who got a bunch of vaccines before deployment, to Iraq I think, including one for smallpox. She suddenly got all sorts of autoimmune troubles and hasn't been in OK health ever since.

    The immune system has evolved to take risky gambles to stop infections. When the presumed alternative is death by infection, responding effectively is prioritized over a reasonable risk of self-destruction.

    (and yes, I know that personifies a non-thinking evolved system, but oh well)

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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday April 22 2018, @08:26PM (1 child)

    by realDonaldTrump (6614) on Sunday April 22 2018, @08:26PM (#670469) Homepage Journal

    I am being proven right about massive vaccinations -- the doctors lied. So many people who have children with autism have thanked me -- amazing response. They know far better than fudged up reports! I’m not against vaccinations for your children, I’m against them in 1 massive dose.Spread them out over a period of time & autism will drop! No more massive injections. Tiny children are not horses -- ONE VACCINE AT A TIME, over time. Save our children & their future.

     

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 24 2018, @06:50AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 24 2018, @06:50AM (#671051)

      Love big mac though.