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Transfer of myelin-specific cells deviated in vitro towards IL-4 production ameliorates ongoing experimental allergic

C Ekerfelt1, C Dahle, R Weissert

  • 1Department of Health and Environment, Division of Clinical Immunology, Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden. Christina.Ekerfelt@kfc.liu.se

A causal role of IL-4 (Th2) production for recovery in experimental allergic neuritis (EAN) was indicated by experiments where Th1-like autoreactive cell populations, taken from the induction phase of the disease, were deviated to extensive secretion of IL-4 in a selective fashion, by ex vivo stimulation with autoantigen in the presence of IL-4. The deviated cells were adoptively transferred to EAN rats at a time just prior to the onset of clinical signs. This treatment ameliorated EAN compared with sham treatment. This therapeutic approach, with generation of autoreactive IL-4-secreting cells ex vivo followed by subsequent adoptive transfer, may become a new selective treatment of organ-specific autoimmune diseases since, in contrast to previous attempts, it is done in a physiological and technically easy way.

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