USI researchers identify immune regulator

A group of researchers from the institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) in Bellinzona has, according to a press release, identified a molecular network that is responsible for regulating appropriate immune reactions. To this end, the institute, which is affiliated with Università della Svizzera italiana (USI: University of Italian Switzerland), has been working together with the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) in Milan. The results of this cooperation were presented on Tuesday in the trade journal “Nature Immunology”.

The researchers investigated the reactions of T-Lymphocytes, the immune system’s fundamental cells. Silvia Monticelli, Director of the IRB and Head of the research group, commented: “The activities of these cells are based on a delicate equilibrium. On the one hand, they must protect the human body, but on the other, they have to limit the risk of potential damage”. After all, an excessive immune reaction can potentially damage tissue. In turn, this can represent the cause of many chronic inflammatory diseases.

With its work, the research group has identified a network of regulatory genes all connected with each other, which can trigger or suppress the inflammatory or potentially pathogenic reaction of T-Lymphocytes. This is fundamental to our understanding of what actually happens during many types of illness, including infectious diseases such as Covid-19. “The hope is always that intense research in this area can lead to new therapies”, even if this requires time and patience, and the results are nearly always only available years later.

The study is being financially backed by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the Swiss Multiple Sclerosis Society and the Ceresio Foundation.