A therapy that avoids immune system attacks like cloaking brain cells has emerged. This treatment using neurons (nerve cells) employed in the treatment of Parkinson's disease helps alleviate symptoms of the disease by protecting the neurons from immune system attacks.
Dr. Clare Parish and her research team at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Melbourne, Australia, noted on the 11th (local time) that they published these findings in the international journal "Cell Stem Cell."
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain disease caused by a reduction in dopamine nerve cells responsible for involuntary muscle movements, leading to tremors in the hands and feet and a heavier gait. To treat it, nerve cells must be transplanted. At this time, the body's immune system recognizes the new nerve cells as foreign and attacks them, making it crucial to evade immune surveillance. Typically, immunosuppressants are used, but they can have side effects.
The research team presented a novel approach called immune cloaking. First, they modified eight genes so that cancer cells could survive by evading immune surveillance. These genes are known to help the placenta or cancer cells naturally avoid immune surveillance. In fact, mouse embryonic stem cells with the same modified genes could survive in the mice's bodies without an immune response.
The research team used stem cells that can differentiate into various human cells for this study. The genetically modified stem cells differentiated into nerve cells suitable for treating Parkinson's disease and survived without being attacked by the immune system.
The research team also added a gene that serves as a safety mechanism to prevent abnormal cell division of the nerve cells. As a result, the nerve cells functioned properly. Professor Parish said, "The remaining challenge is for authorities to allow cellular therapies involving the modification of multiple genes to proceed without regulation."
References
Cell Stem Cell (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2025.03.008