Scientists discover molecule capable of curbing mechanism responsible for autoimmune diseases

Harvard Medical School and Boston Institute of Immune Diseases researchers have identified a molecule that curbs autoimmune diseases, reports the magazine Science. The molecule compound halofuginone inhibits the development of TH17, a specialized immune cell and important factor in the development of autoimmune diseases, both in mice and humans, without altering the other immune cells. Mark Sundrud, research director, and the other scientists have also reported that halofuginone activates the response to the deprivation of amino acids (AAR) in live mice, protecting them from autoimmunity in a TH17 mouse model associated with multiple sclerosis. The discovery of this molecule could lead to clinical applications in the future.