主题：【转帖】科学家首次发现人体自身可生产疫苗

Vaccine Boosts Immune System, Helps Prevent Chronic Inflammation

科学家首次发现人体自身可生产疫苗

译者：Docofsoul

ScienceDaily (Dec. 14, 2010) — Researchers at BRIC, the University of Copenhagen, have discovered that the human body can create its own vaccine, which boosts the immune system and helps prevent chronic inflammatory diseases. The researchers' results have just been published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation and may have significant consequences in developing new medicine.

《每日科学》2010年12月14日报道—— 哥本哈根大学的BRIC科学家发现：人体本身能够制造疫苗，以此强化体内的免疫系统并有助于预防慢性炎性疾病。本研究成果已发表于《临床研究杂志》，可能对开发新的药物有重大意义。


Professor Issazadeh-Navikas' group was able to show for the first time the ability of a self peptide to activate NKT cells to suppress many tissue-specific inflammatory conditions including experimental autoimmune diseases. (Credit: Image courtesy of University of Copenhagen)
Issazadeh-Navikas教授的研究小组首次显示一种自身肽激发NKT细胞（自然杀伤T细胞——译者）来抑制包括自身免疫疾病在内的组织特异性炎性症状。（照片来源：哥本哈根大学）

Researchers at the Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC) at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a protein normally found in the body that can act to prevent chronic tissue inflammation. When administered in the form of a therapeutic vaccine it is able to effectively prevent and treat a number of different inflammatory disease models for multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), skin hypersensitivity and allergic asthma (AA).

哥本哈根大学的生物技术研究与创新中心（BRIC）已经发现了一种正常情况下存在于体内的蛋白有预防慢性组织炎症的能力。当科学家把这种蛋白作为治疗性的疫苗来使用时，该蛋白能够有效预防并治疗多种不同炎症性疾病模型：多发性硬化症（MS）、风湿性关节炎（RA）、皮肤过敏与过敏性哮喘（AA）

The results of this study have just been published by the Journal of Clinical Investigation in the article entitled "Endogenous collagen peptide activation of CD1d-restricted NKT cells ameliorates multiple tissue-specific inflammation in mice."

本研究结果已发表于《临床研究杂志》，其标题为“内源性胶原蛋白激发CD1d限制性NKT细胞改善小鼠多发性组织特异性炎症”。

The study was led by Principal Investigator Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas, group leader for Neuroinflammation Unit at BRIC, and was the result of a translational collaboration involving researchers in Denmark, Sweden and Germany. The article culminates a decade's long search for ways to combat inflammation and inflammatory diseases.

本研究由首席研究员、BRIC神经性炎症科室主任Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas率队进行，是与丹麦、瑞士与德国研究者联手合作的成果。十年来相关医学研究领域不断探索与发炎以及炎症性疾病作斗争的方法，而这一成果正是该研究过程的最具代表性的成果。

"The implications of the findings are large as they shed light on an important way that the body combats inflammation and autoimmunity. Moreover, they establish a therapeutic approach for using the newly discovered protein as a treatment for multiple conditions," says Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas.

Shohreh Issazadeh-Navikas指出： “这些发现的重大意义毋庸置疑，因为这项研究指明了人体抗击炎症与自身免疫疾病的重要方式。更进一步的是，这些发现创建一种新的治疗方法，即可以应用研究中所发现的蛋白来治疗多种疾病。”

Many inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are chronic and affect a large majority of people. Moreover, there is an inflammatory component to many common diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, RA, AA, MS, type II diabetes and cancers. The vaccine discovered by the researchers boosts special cells of the immune system, called NKT cells.

许多炎症与自身免疫疾病是慢性病，影响人口中大多数。尤其是，对许多普通疾病而言，比如说阿尔茨海默病、帕金森病、RA、AA、MS、2型糖尿病与癌症，均存在发炎症状。由本研究的科学家所发现的疫苗可以增进免疫系统中NKT这种特定细胞的免疫力。

NKT cells are a type of T cell that exert profound and diverse regulatory effects in disease, from autoimmunity to responses to pathogens and cancer. For over two decades since their discovery NKT cells have traditionally been considered to be activated by lipid antigens presented by CD1 molecules. However, Professor Issazadeh-Navikas' group was able to show for the first time the ability of a self peptide to activate NKT cells to suppress many tissue-specific inflammatory conditions including experimental autoimmune diseases.

NKT细胞是T细胞中的一类，对疾病（从自身免疫到对病原体的响应再到肿瘤）有形式多样的重要调节作用。自NKT细胞被发现的几十年来，相关研究领域一直认为由CD1分子提呈的脂类抗原负责激发这种细胞。但Issazadeh-Navikas教授的研究小组则首次显示一种自身肽有激发NKT细胞、从而抑制许多（包括实验性自身免疫疾病在内的）组织特异性炎症性疾病的能力。

This highly significant and novel finding offers a new perspective on the ways in which the body combats inflammation in both health and disease. In addition, the researchers identified the activation requirements and signaling pathway through which they exert their function.

这一全新的重大发现为人体在健康与疾病状态下抗击炎症指明了新的方向。此外，研究者找到了激发所需要的条件与其借以发挥功能的信号通道。

Professor Issazadeh-Navikas highlights, "Our data offer a novel perspective on the physiological role of these cells in maintenance of tissue homeostasis and reduction of inflammation."

Issazadeh-Navikas教授强调：“我们的数据为这些细胞在保持组织自稳与减少炎症的过程中所扮演的生理角色提供了别具一格的思考方法。”

The findings significantly advance the fields of autoimmunity, antigen presentation, and NKT cells. They provide mechanistic insight into the biology of these cells and their roles in disease and point the way to therapies to treat many common conditions.

本发现极大地推动了自身免疫、抗原表达与NKT细胞研究领域的进程。为理解这些细胞及其在疾病中所扮演的角色提供了生物学机制水平上的深刻见解，为开发治疗许多普通疾病的疗法指明了道路。