Our immune system protects our body from attack by infectious diseases. To defend ourselves, we produce molecules found in our blood called antibodies. Normally, these antibodies only attack the germs causing the infection. Sometimes, however, these antibodies can “cross-react” and attack our own bodies. When this happens, it can result in a health problem that we call an autoimmune disease.
Autoimmune diseases are relatively common, affecting 5 to 8% of the population. There are over 90 different types of autoimmune disease depending on which part of the body is attacked. For example, Crohn's disease affects the digestive system, and rheumatoid arthritis affects the joints in the fingers, wrists and feet. The reason that different body parts are affected in different diseases is because the antibodies recognize molecules that are found in these different tissues.
To improve the ability to diagnose and even treat autoimmune diseases it is very important to identify which molecules are the targets of the disease-causing cross-reactive antibodies. Normally, this is a difficult question to answer.
Our laboratory at the University of York has developed a new tool which we believe will make discovering these molecules quicker, cheaper, and with greater confidence than previously possible. We would like to use the NIHR bioresource to test the blood of people with autoimmune diseases to see if we can identify the molecules that are attacked by antibodies.
The results of these experiments could lead to discoveries that will make a difference in the lives of patients living with autoimmune diseases in the relatively near future.
