Combined, infection, autoimmunity and cancer account for 4 out of every 10 deaths worldwide, and represent major global health challenges. In a paper in the journal Cell Reports, Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) researchers highlight a novel discovery of how the human immune system works in common ways across diseases, and offer promising avenues for exploring multi-disease therapeutic strategies.
Many therapies, while effective for one class of disease, may aggravate others. Cancer treatments like immune checkpoint blockade, for example, can trigger autoimmunity. Similarly, drugs targeting autoimmune diseases may leave patients more susceptible to infections and cancer.
“Understanding shared human immune system characteristics across these disease contexts is crucial for identifying potential therapeutic strategies that could treat a patient’s primary ailment while not triggering secondary conditions,” said ISB President Dr. Jim Heath, corresponding author of the paper.
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