Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Accept all cookies Reject all non-essential cookies Find out more

Study paves the way for new autoimmune disease treatments with fewer side effects

Research

New research has raised the possibility of minimising the side effects of treatment for patients with autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease.

© 123dartist - Shutterstock

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

A research team has been using genetics to explore ways of producing new treatments for autoimmune diseases, but with significantly fewer side effects.

Many of the current treatments for autoimmune diseases, which include multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, involve deliberately weakening the body’s immune system. This leaves patients at greater risk of developing other opportunistic illnesses.

Read more

Similar stories

Treating mental illness with electricity marries old ideas with modern tech and understanding of the brain – podcast

Young lives under pressure as global crises hits mental health and well-being – report

The well-being and mental health of young people in low - and middle - income countries have been dramatically affected by the series of crises hitting the world. As the international community continues to struggle with the impact of COVID-19, conflict and climate change, the latest report from the Young Lives project shows a long-running upward trend in young people’s well-being has been sharply reversed alongside widespread anxiety and depression. Young people are less confident about their futures for the first time in the 20-year study.

Bacterial infections linked to one in eight global deaths, according to GRAM study

Data showing 7.7 million deaths from 33 bacterial infections can guide measures to strengthen health systems, particularly in low-income settings

First evidence drug resistant bacteria can travel from gut to lung, increasing infection risks

A new Oxford University study released during World Antimicrobial Awareness Week has significant findings on how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) arises and persists. The results, published today in Nature Communications, provide the first direct evidence of AMR bacteria migrating from a patient’s gut microbiome to the lungs, increasing the risk of deadly infections.

The risk of seizures and epilepsy is higher after COVID than after the flu – new research

Many adolescents game a lot without negative effects on their wellbeing

A new study published by University of Oxford researchers in an open-access journal, JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, shows that although many school-age adolescents are spending considerable time gaming, it is not having a negative impact on the wellbeing.