March 5, 2021
The COVID-19 vaccinations have served to bring the world's attention to mRNA vaccines!
mRNA vaccine technology is an exciting new avenue for treatment of autoimmune conditions with far reaching implications
Recently researchers published results from a study exploring the potential benefits of mRNA vaccination as a treatment modality in mouse models of MS.
In autoimmune diseases like MS, breach of immune tolerance and self injury caused by ones own immune cells lead to disease. This injury is lead by cells called autoreactiveT cells, while a moderating effect of decreasing inflammation and injury is carried out by regulatory T cells.
Introduction of antigens which will elicit an immune response with predominantly regulatory T cells rather than autoreactive and destructive T cells would have an ameliorating effect on the disease. mRNA technology would allow us to employ this approach. Furthermore, the protective effect comes without general immune suppression and hence does not bring with it, adverse events associated with systemic immune suppression such as infections.
Using mRNA method in experimental mouse models of MS, researchers were able to show that vaccination delayed or decreased the severity of immune mediated injury
A noninflammatory mRNA vaccine for treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.Krienke et al.Science 2021 (Vol. 371, Issue 6525, pp. 145-153)