Discovery in Immune System Within Stem Cells Could Aid in Development of Therapies
Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have discovered that stem cells can develop resistance against viruses. This finding could aid in the development of stem cell therapies.
While studying stem cells from mouse embryos before they are specialized, scientists found a protein known as mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS). This protein switches the immune response within stem cells while another small molecule, known as miR-673, regulates when the MAVS protein turns on and off.
When miR-673 is removed in the lab, MAVS protein production was restored and switched on the anti-viral response.Researchers believe that the same mechanism is likely to operate in humans, and hope that their findings will make the use of stem cells seem more efficient and to one day be given to patients to replace cells affected by diseases like Parkinson’s or diabetes.
Jereon Witteveldt of the University of Edinburgh stated:
"Unveiling how this crucial antiviral mechanism is switched off, and methods to switch this back on in a controlled manner could make stem cell therapies much more efficient."