Autoimmune Lung Damage: New Research
- Hanover, Germany—A team at TWINCORE, in collaboration with Hannover Medical School (MHH), has investigated the role of immune cells in systemic sclerosis and Sjögren's syndrome, two rheumatic diseases...
- Systemic sclerosis involves inflammation and skin scarring, while Sjögren's syndrome primarily targets tear and salivary glands.
- Theresa Graalmann, a physician at MHH and head of the "translational Immunology" junior research group at TWINCORE, is focusing on the pathomechanisms of autoimmune diseases.
Autoimmune Lung Damage: New Research reveals critical insights into the role of immune cells in systemic sclerosis and Sjögren’s syndrome.A collaborative study between TWINCORE and Hannover Medical School, published in Rheumatology, spotlights how these cells contribute to lung damage, a key feature of both conditions. Researchers, focusing on T cells, discovered meaningful changes suggesting exhaustion, similar to what’s seen in viral infections and cancer, potentially offering new therapeutic avenues. The work, led by Dr.Theresa Graalmann and Christine Ehlers, compared immune cells from patients to healthy individuals, showing surprisingly similar lung T cell profiles despite differing blood cell populations. This groundbreaking research reinforces the use of T-cell-targeted therapies. News directory 3 covered the story.
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Researchers Explore Immune Cells in Scleroderma, Sjögren’s
Hanover, Germany—A team at TWINCORE, in collaboration with Hannover Medical School (MHH), has investigated the role of immune cells in systemic sclerosis and Sjögren’s syndrome, two rheumatic diseases affecting the lungs. Their work, recently published in Rheumatology, sheds light on how these cells contribute to lung damage.
Systemic sclerosis involves inflammation and skin scarring, while Sjögren’s syndrome primarily targets tear and salivary glands. Both conditions can lead to interstitial lung disease, characterized by lung inflammation and fibrosis, hindering gas exchange. This occurs twice as frequently enough in systemic sclerosis as in Sjögren’s syndrome.
Dr. Theresa Graalmann, a physician at MHH and head of the “translational Immunology” junior research group at TWINCORE, is focusing on the pathomechanisms of autoimmune diseases. Her recent work addresses the limited research on the role of immune cells in interstitial lung disease.
“Previous work has mainly focused on fibroblasts and other connective tissue cells,” Graalmann said.
Christine Ehlers, a Ph.D. candidate in Graalmann’s team, explained their approach: “We characterized immune cells from blood and lung washes of patients with systemic sclerosis or sjögren’s syndrome, comparing them to healthy individuals. We found critically important changes, especially in T cells, in both patient groups.”
T cells, crucial for immune system control via messenger substances, showed notable differences. “While blood cell populations differ between the two diseases, lung T cells were surprisingly similar,” Ehlers noted. The researchers identified characteristics suggesting T cell exhaustion, a state also seen in viral infections and cancer.
Dr. Benjamin Seeliger, senior physician at MHH, who co-lead the project with Graalmann, added, “These findings reinforce the use of T-cell-targeted therapies and show us new possible avenues for therapeutic interventions for systemic sclerosis and Sjögren’s syndrome.”
The study highlights the potential of targeting T cells to combat lung damage in these autoimmune diseases.