News: Latest – distributed around Yorkshire August 12, 2016 12:14:49 PM
New research from the University of Dundee, and funded by Arthritis Research UK and the MRC, has shown that targeting a specific group of enzymes could be a viable strategy for treating autoimmune diseases such as psoriasis and multiple sclerosis, which affect millions of people.
Autoimmune diseases develop when the immune system, which defends the body against disease, is convinced that our healthy cells are foreign. As a result, the immune system then attacks the healthy cells.
Researchers led by Dr Simon Arthur in the School of Life Sciences at Dundee examined the way that a drug called dimethylfumarate (DMF), which is licensed in the UK as Tecfidera, works. DMF is primarily used to treat multiple sclerosis but has also been shown to be an effective treatment for psoriasis, both of which are autoimmune diseases.
The team found that DMF is effective because it blocks the action of a particular group of enzymes called E2s, some of which are active in inducing inflammation.
“This is significant because previously the pharmaceutical industry has been sceptical lupus about the viability of targeting these enzymes as a means of treating diseases,” said Dr Vicky McGuire, lead author on the study.
“We have found that DMF is actually already targeting these enzymes with very positive results. This follows on from previous research from the University’s School of Life Sciences that showed that another drug, BAY 11-7082 also works by inhibiting E2 enzymes. However, unlike BAY 11-7082, DMF is approved for clinical use.”
Dr Arthur added, “This suggests that more selective inhibitors of E2’s may be well tolerated and validates these enzymes as targets for future drug development.”
Dr Stephen Simpson, director of research and programmes at the charity Arthritis Research UK, said he was excited by the results of the study they cofounded.
“Autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and psoriatic arthritis can have a devastating impact on people’s lives, causing extreme pain and fatigue that can make even everyday tasks incredibly difficult,” he said. “We welcome this research in helping identify pathways in these types of conditions that may offer targets for new and effective treatment”
The results of the research are published in Nature’s Scientific Reports.
- Pet crematorium to open in much-loved Cannon Hall Park
- Help us find who killed Pat Grainger 20 years ago
- Rotherham food bank appeal as numbers double
- Man charged with alleged child sexual offences
- Local streets named by school children
- Dental patient awarded £7,000 in compensation
- Two businesses broken into in Wath, Rotherham
- £200 Council Tax discount for residents hit hard by coronavirus
- SYP joins forces with charity The Smallest Things
- Did NASA ever go to the moon?
- Blue badge abuse prosecution
- Third man sentenced for Rotherham bank raid
- Boy detained after Barnsley College incident
- Dearne Shoplifter Found And Jailed
- Thornhill Place 1991
- Help for victims of grooming and sexual exploitation
- Autumn has arrived!
- 12-month community order for Rotherham burglar
- Barnsley College organises regional tournament
- Barnsley Sixth Form College celebrates 99% pass rate
- NASA’s Juno Spacecraft to Risk Jupiter’s Fireworks for Science
- Yellow warning for Yorkshire & Humber Sunday – Monday
- Call blocking scheme for people with dementia
- Roadworks affecting travel
- Burglar jailed for three years
- Appeal for witnesses following collision in Wombwell
- New Sponsor for Wath Comprehensive School
- Four years for Nazi teen who downloaded terror handbook
- Man dies following motorbike collision in Sheffield
- Statement on the outcome of misconduct in public office trial
- Free dog microchipping event will help owners and pets stay together forever
- NEW ENGLISH FRIENDS COMMUNITY LAUNCHED
- Convicted sex attacker back in court for possession of indecent images
- Barnsley beacon commemorates World War One centenary
- Montgomery’s Square: A Poet’s Journey
- Yorkshire Wildlife Park’s animals take to the ice
- Yorkshire Wildlife Park’s CEO is named in top 50 business leaders
- It’s never too late to learn
- Man jailed for dumbbell assault
- New Year, New Healthier You