Taming T cells in T1D

Separate teams at the University of California, San Francisco and Pfizer Inc. have evidence that blocking Il-7 signaling in mice can arrest the autoimmune activity behind type 1 diabetes.^1,2 Whether the findings will translate to the clinic depends on whether the cytokine has the same effects on helper T cell activity in mice and humans.

IL-7 is a key regulator of helper T cells, which ordinarily orchestrate the immune response to foreign antigens. In 2007, researchers at the Karolinska Institute found evidence that IL-7 also plays a role in autoimmune disease. The group uncovered human genetic variants in IL-7 receptor (IL-7R; CD127) that increased the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with wild-type IL-7R.³...