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A giant step in AIDS research

Physician Practice Advisor, April 20, 2004

After finding a way to build T cells in mice, researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN have their eyes set on continued research that could lead to advanced treatments in autoimmune disease such as arthritis, and in restoring immunity to patients with cancer and AIDS.

Researchers found that in mice with abnormal or deficient immune systems, B cells help to generate new T cells. Until now, the medical community believed that B cells produced antibodies while T cells fought infected cells, and the two only came together when the body was under attack. This discovery could have far-reaching implications for AIDS patients with severely depleted T cells.

"By understanding how the body produces T cell diversity in this way, we believe it may have direct impact on many patients whose immune defenses have been compromised," said research team leader, Jeffrey Platt, M.D. "There was no way we knew of that this part of the immune system could build itself back up. Now we think that this is a way."

Visit http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2004-rst/2231.html for information.

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