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Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Determining Immune System Suppression versus CNS Protection for Pharmacological Interventions in Autoimmune Demyelination
Published on: September 12, 2016
A common vaccine for fighting neurodegenerative disorders: recharging immunity for homeostasis
Michal Schwartz1, Jonathan Kipnis
1Department of Neurobiology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. michal.schwartz@weizmann.ac.il
Abstract:
Neurodegenerative conditions share common primary risk factors and mediators of disease progression. Because many degenerative disorders are age related, deteriorating immunity in aging patients might impose additional risk. Adaptive (T-cell-mediated) immunity is a defense mechanism that instructs microglia to fight off and clear away self-derived enemies. Such adaptive immunity can be boosted, without risking the development of autoimmune disease, by injecting weak agonists of self-antigens or by weakening the suppressive CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells. If widely cross-reactive, the agonist might effectively counteract a variety of neurodegenerative disorders. Boosting of relevant T cells by vaccination could thus "recharge" a deteriorating immune system that has to contend with an increasing number of risk factors.
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