How Autoimmune Diseases Trigger Immune System Attacks
Autoimmune diseases happen when the immune system responds to false alarms and tries to fight infections that aren’t there. Now, a protein in cells has been identified that spurs the release of those infection-fighting molecules as a result of work done by Jonathan Miner, MD, PhD, an associate professor of Rheumatology and Microbiology and a member of the Colter Center for Autoimmunity. The protein provides a potential target for therapies that could prevent overreactive immune responses that are at the root of several debilitating illnesses.