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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Scientists at ETH Zurich's Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering have created a "molecular prosthesis" capable of treating symptoms of psoriasis [www.ethz.ch]:

Gene circuits created in the past typically monitored only whether a metabolic molecule A was present in their environment; if so, they produced a metabolic molecule X as a response. The new, more complex circuit can detect two molecules, A and B, simultaneously, and only if both are present does it produce the molecules X and Y. "We have used cellular components to build an AND logic gate, as is familiar in electronics and without which computers could not function," says Fussenegger. When researchers implanted a circuit with an AND gate of this kind into mice, the circuit was able to successfully suppress phases of psoriasis in the mouse model. The new molecular prosthesis uses the language by which immune cells in the body communicate with one another: the language of the numerous messenger molecules that the immune cells can both produce and detect.

The different cells of the immune system are involved in two ways during a psoriasis phase: first, they are responsible for triggering an inflammatory response by increasing the production of various messengers, including those referred to as TNF and IL-22. Second, at a later point, they produce a series of messengers that cause the inflammation to fade away again, among them IL-4 and IL-10. The circuit developed by the ETH researchers can detect the inflammatory molecules TNF and IL-22. If (and only if) these two messengers are present simultaneously, the circuit produces the anti-inflammatory molecules IL-4 and IL-10. "In this way, our molecular prosthesis helps the immune system to suppress the inflammatory response," explains Fussenegger.

The scientists took tiny porous capsules made of algal gelatine and encased 200 cells of a human cell line with this gene circuit in each capsule. They then injected 6,000 of these minute capsules into the abdomens of mice. New blood vessels formed naturally and connected the capsules to the bloodstream. Using a medicine, the scientists triggered an inflammatory response, similar to psoriasis, in the skin of the mice. They then compared the mice into which 'designer cell capsules' had been implanted with those without capsules. Only the latter showed symptoms of inflammation. The implant suppressed the inflammatory disease successfully.

Implantable synthetic cytokine converter cells with AND-gate logic treat experimental psoriasis [sciencemag.org] (DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aac4964)

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