Impact of trisomy 21 on interferon signaling

The interferon response is constantly activated in people with Down syndrome causing the body to fight a viral infection when such infection doesn ' t exist, say scientists. Constant immune system activation would likely cause damaging side-effects and may explain cognitive deficit, increased prevalence of autoimmune disorders, higher risk of Alzheimer ' s disease, and protection against solid tumors. Testing FDA-approved drugs that block the interferon response could be an important next step, say the investigators.
Source: ScienceDaily Headlines - Category: Science Source Type: news