‘Peacemaker’ immune cells could help treat diseases ranging from type 1 diabetes to\u00a0neurodegeneration\u00a0by restoring immune\u00a0tolerance, according to a new\u00a0paper\u00a0in Frontiers in Science.\u00a0<\/p>\n
From cancer, diabetes, and chronic infections, to cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and reproductive conditions, inflammation<\/a> is increasingly cited as a driver\u00a0of\u00a0a\u00a0broad\u00a0range of diseases.\u00a0Immune cells called\u00a0regulatory T cells<\/a> (Tregs)-originally defined as\u00a0“suppressor”\u00a0cells that\u00a0stop other immune cells\u00a0from\u00a0attacking the body-are being\u00a0explored as\u00a0“living drugs”\u00a0that could\u00a0eventually be adapted to target many diseases with an inflammatory\u00a0component.\u00a0<\/p>\n Such an approach,\u00a0which aims to tailor Treg therapies to\u00a0specific\u00a0diseases\u00a0and tissues, could\u00a0support more precise control of immune responses. In autoimmune diseases\u00a0and transplant rejection,\u00a0Tregs could even help\u00a0shift treatment from broad immunosuppression, which brings myriad risks,\u00a0toward restored\u00a0immune tolerance and longer-term\u00a0disease control.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Uncontrolled inflammation sits at the root of so many human diseases, so Tregs that can tackle this offer some of the most exciting opportunities in modern medicine. Tregs can also help control immunity far beyond their classical suppressor role-helping repair tissue, stabilize metabolism, and keep inflammation in check. That makes them incredibly powerful as living medicines.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr. Jeffrey Bluestone, joint lead author, co-founder and scientific advisor to Sonoma Biotherapeutics<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Joint lead author Dr Fred Ramsdell,\u00a0who won the 2025 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his discoveries around immune\u00a0tolerance, and\u00a0is\u00a0also a co-founder and advisor to Sonoma Biotherapeutics,\u00a0said: “With emerging genetic engineering and smart combination approaches, we’re on the cusp of transforming how immune tolerance is restored and maintained. This really is only the beginning.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Personalized, precision treatments\u00a0<\/p>\n Researchers are investigating Tregs in a broad range of conditions linked to dysregulated immune tolerance\u00a0in autoimmune diseases\u00a0and chronic inflammation,\u00a0as well as\u00a0cancer, severe COVID-19,\u00a0neurodegeneration, metabolic disease, fibrosis, aging, pregnancy-related disorders, and\u00a0autoimmunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, the role of Tregs differs across diseases. While they can suppress damaging inflammation\u00a0to prevent\u00a0autoimmune and degenerative conditions, cancers can exploit these same immune tolerance mechanisms to evade immune attack. The paper describes how next-generation engineered Treg therapies could eventually be designed either to restore tolerance\u00a0or selectively disrupt it,\u00a0depending on the disease context.\u00a0<\/p>\n Current standard of care for autoimmune conditions and transplant rejection typically focuses on suppressing the immune system with powerful drugs-often targeting dangerous immune responses long after tissue damage has occurred. Restoring immune tolerance, rather than simply managing symptoms, is therefore highly appealing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Early evaluations of Tregs in autoimmunity and transplant rejection have shown\u00a0good tolerance\u00a0and safety profiles, as well as being linked to\u00a0early signs of clinical benefit.\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a0next frontier, the researchers say, is achieving true\u00a0precision\u00a0by\u00a0tailoring treatments with three layers of specificity:\u00a0<\/p>\n
Precision in patient selection:\u00a0matching\u00a0patients\u00a0to therapies\u00a0based on immune subtype, disease stage, or predictive biomarkers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dr Ramsdell said:\u00a0“Ultimately, success\u00a0will come down to precision: the right Treg, delivered in the right way, to the right tissue, at the right\u00a0time.\u00a0That’s\u00a0the\u00a0foundation\u00a0that could extend tolerance-based medicine across an extraordinary range of human diseases.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Unlocking\u00a0tolerance medicine\u00a0for patients\u00a0<\/p>\n Maximizing\u00a0impact for\u00a0many\u00a0patients\u00a0depends on successfully enhancing Treg function-strengthening the response of these cells to environmental cues and reinforcing their natural role in tissue repair. New engineering tools are speeding up progress, allowing scientists to develop off-the-shelf\u00a0Treg therapies\u00a0and\u00a0explore gene-based approaches that could program these cells inside the body. Together, say the\u00a0authors,\u00a0these innovations are laying the foundation for a new generation of precision tolerance-restoring\u00a0medicines.\u00a0<\/p>\n Moving\u00a0tolerance medicine forward will require several approaches to advance at the same time, stress\u00a0the authors. Combination strategies offer the most immediate\u00a0path, pairing Tregs with cytokines\u00a0or immunomodulatory agents that boost their persistence, strengthen function, or reduce inflammatory pressure.\u00a0As engineering, metabolic tuning, and\u00a0tissue targeting\u00a0technologies mature, these elements could be\u00a0added to\u00a0existing\u00a0therapeutic\u00a0platforms to improve stability, enhance homing, and reinforce tissue repair, according to the paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n Co-author\u00a0Prof\u00a0Qizhi\u202fTang, from University of California San Francisco, said:\u00a0“The technical foundations have been laid, and we may soon be able to transform treatment from broad immunosuppression to restoring true precision tolerance.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Finally, the\u00a0authors highlight how strategic investment will be\u00a0crucial\u00a0to move tolerance medicine from concept to reality-powering\u00a0cross-disciplinary collaboration, regulatory partnership, and sustained funding\u00a0as\u00a0both\u00a0development and\u00a0clinical\u00a0access scales.\u00a0<\/p>\n Co-author\u00a0Prof\u00a0Megan Levings from University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute\u00a0said:\u00a0“With continued investment, cell-based therapies like Tregs could become a new pillar of medicine-standing alongside small molecules, biologics and gene therapies,\u00a0and\u00a0unlocking\u00a0treatments for\u00a0diseases once\u00a0thought\u00a0incurable.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Source:<\/p>\n Journal reference:<\/p>\n
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