When will this major step in the development of new drugs, a factor in the onset of ulcerative colitis that was announced to have been elucidated this summer? Will it still take 10 to 20 years or so?
Just as a reminder, I would like to note a copy of the website ↓.
—————————————————————
Elucidation of the factors that cause ulcerative colitis (Prof. Takeda and Associate Prof. Honda et al. published in Nature)
August 29, 2008
Professor Kiyoshi Takeda and Associate Professor Kenya Honda of the Frontier Research Center for Immunology and their colleagues have elucidated the pathogenic mechanism of an intractable disease called ulcerative colitis, which causes inflammation of the intestines, in mouse experiments.
According to their findings, the excess release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) by intestinal bacteria activates dendritic cells CD70highCD11clow in the intestinal tract and increases the number of immune cells called type 17 helper cells (TH17). TH17 then produced large amounts of an inflammatory agent called interleukin-17 (IL-17), which was a factor in the development of ulcerative colitis.
Similar to ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, which causes intestinal inflammation, is also thought to be caused by an abnormal immune system. This research will pave the way for the treatment of such intractable diseases in the future.
http://www.ifrec.osaka-u.ac.jp/jpn/research/2008/08/nature-takeda080829.php
—————————————————————