Posted in | Nanomedicine | Microscopy  New Technique Using
Nanoparticles may Selectively Repress Unwanted Immune Reactions
Published on June 4, 2013 at 7:02 AM  The human immune system is
remarkably efficient, but sometimes its attack is misdirected,
leading to allergies, autoimmune diseases and rejection of
transplant organs and therapeutic drugs. Current immune
suppressants have major drawbacks, but a team from The Scripps
Research Institute (TSRI) has demonstrated a new technique that
may lead to a better way to selectively repress unwanted immune
reactions without disabling the immune system as a whole.  James
Paulson is chair of The Scripps Research Institute Department of
Cell and Molecular Biology.  As a proof of principle, the study,
reported online ahead of print on June 3, 2013, by the Journal
of Clinical Investigation, focused on a problem faced by some
hemophiliacs—rejection of a therapeutic replacement blood
clotting protein.  One of the most common forms of hemophilia,
hemophilia A afflicts pat