'Black Sheep' Of Helper t Cells May Hold Key to Precision Allergy Treatment
Published:12 Jun.2023 Source:University of Pittsburgh
A new Nature Immunologystudy led by University of Pittsburgh and National Institutes of Health researchers sheds light on how a rare type of helper T cell, called Th9, can drive allergic disease, suggesting new precision medicine approaches to treating allergies in patients with high levels of Th9.
To learn more about how Th9 cells are activated in allergic responses, Schwartz and her team measured IL9, a cytokine produced by Th9 cells, in T cells from patients with atopic dermatitis, an allergic condition characterized by a dry, itchy rash, and healthy volunteers. They found that Th9 cells from the allergy patients responded to bystander activation, but not those from healthy volunteers.
Analyzing data from allergic asthma patients, the researchers found that those with higher levels of Th9 cells had greater activation of STAT5 and STAT6-related genes. This finding supports the idea that Th9 could act as a biomarker to predict patients who are likely to respond to JAK inhibitors, pointing to new approaches for allergy precision medicine.