A Potential Way to Speed the Recovery Phase of an Immune System Reboot

There is great potential in the destruction and recreation of the immune system: the removal of all immune cells and replacement with new cells. This is an approach capable of curing autoimmune conditions, but perhaps more importantly it might also be used to clear out much of the dysfunction of the aged immune system. Immune system decline is an important component of the frailty of aging, and it speeds other aspects of the aging process through inflammation and a growing failure to monitor and destroy potentially harmful cells, such as those that become senescent. Just recently researchers made real progress on the immune system destruction front, finding a way to achieve that goal without harmful chemotherapy, and to match that advance, here is news of a potential method to improve the restoration phase of the process: New research has shown how a cell surface molecule, Lymphotoxin β receptor, controls entry of T-cells into the thymus; and as such presents an opportunity to understanding why cancer patients who undergo bone-marrow transplant are slow to recover their immune system. The thymus, which sits in front of the heart and behind the sternum, imports T-cell precursors from the bone marrow and supports their development into mature T-cells that fight off dangerous diseases. T-cells are often the last cells to recover in cancer patients receiving bone marrow transplants. Though the cancer is cured, patients are often left with an impaired immune system that ...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs