Lupus has long been in the interests of medical researchers for years. Now, scientists from the University of Vermont uncovers a new discovery for a possible alternative treatment for lupus.
According to an article by News Medical, Dr. Iwona Buskiewicz and Dr. Andreas Koenig of the University of Vermont's Larner College of Medicine just recently published a very significant finding in their article for Science Signaling. The two assistant professors discovered that there has been an important protein that was activated among lupus patients. What is unique in this protein is that it is usually present in the immune system when the system is triggered by a virus, but for the case of lupus, the said protein gets activated even without a viral infection.
This unique protein is also known as the mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein or the MAVS. Buskiewicz further explained in the same article that this phenomenon among MAVS is due to the existence of oxidative stress in the cells. This stress then causes the MAVS to group together inside the mitochondria which greatly affects the immune system despite having no presence of any virus.
In an article in the Science Daily, Buskiewicz admitted that it's still a mystery why MAVS cluster in the mitochondria. However, with this lupus research by their team, they were able to discover a helpful antioxidant which can target this unique activity by the MAVS.
Currently, the team by Buskiewicz and Koenig from the University of Vermont together with other researchers from some of the world's prestigious medical institutions like the Wellcome Trust, University of Glasgow, State University of New York Upstate Medical Center, and Weill Cornell Medical College is studying further about this antioxidant therapy for lupus patients. The team also opened its doors to more collaborations from other institutions.
