BPRC Research | Research Programmes Human Health | Immunobiology

Research in the department of Immunobiology focuses on disorders that are caused by unwanted activities of the immune system. There are three main groups of disorders where the function of the immune system is disturbed; autoimmune disease, transplant rejection and asthma/allergy. All can cause serious, life-threatening health complications. Autoimmune disease and transplant rejection are both major areas of research in the BPRC.

In the ageing societies of the developed world the number of patients suffering from chronic and degenerative diseases is steadily increasing. Although replacement of defective organs by transplantation of donor organs has become a relatively standard technique, organs from genetically non-identical donors can be quickly rejected. This means that strong medicines must be used, with unpleasant and sometimes dangerous side-effects. Currently available medicines to prevent transplant rejection are either only partially effective or, for reasons of toxicity, cannot be administered for prolonged periods of time.

It is generally felt that our limited understanding of the immunological mechanisms that cause these diseases is a main reason why effective medicines are not yet available.

In autoimmune diseases the immune system attacks the tissues and organs of its own body. The reason for this abnormal behaviour is not known. The autoimmune processes (the Greek word autos means "self") that cause damage to the attacked organs/tissues in autoimmune disease are, to a large extent, comparable to the reactions that cause rejection of a transplanted organ.

The main objective of research at BPRC is to permanently inactivate, in a very specific way, the unwanted immune reactions. At the same time the capacity of the body to develop the “good” immune reactions that protect us against disease must be preserved.

The body itself provides soluble molecules with which immune reactions can be controlled in a very specific fashion, such as antibodies, cytokines, receptors and so on. Biotechnologists have developed methods to engineer these molecules for pharmaceutical usage to improve their safety and effectivity and produce them in high quantities. The high specificity of biological medicines designed for humans often prohibits testing in rats and mice because they are inactive in these species. This sometimes requires that safety and effectivity of these potential new medicines are tested in monkeys before they can safely be tested in humans.

To get an idea of some of the achievements of the Immunobiology research programme in the last few years go here.

AT 10/02/03