The designer cells detect pro-inflammatory cytokines from the psoriasis inflammation and release anti-inflammatory cytokines to reduce the skin reaction.SCHUKUR ET AL.The device: Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes itchy, scaly lesions over parts of the body. Engineered “designer cells,” placed in microcapsules and implanted in mice, now offer hope for a psoriasis treatment that goes beyond daily pills and injections. Researchers from ETH Zürich in Switzerland described the cells’ daisy-chain detection of an oncoming flare-up and subsequent release of therapeutic compounds today (December 16) in Science Translational Medicine.
“The cell recognizes the disease metabolite and coordinates a specific response,” said study coauthor Martin Fussenegger, a bioengineer at ETH Zürich. “That leads to the production, secretion, and delivery of a therapeutic protein which goes back to the bloodstream.” The designer cells successfully prevented and treated the skin lesions in a mouse model of psoriasis.
The significance: Psoriasis lesions result from an increase in small cell-signaling proteins called cytokines that cause inflammation, particularly tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin 22 (IL22). Current treatments for the condition rely on either daily injections or oral therapies of antibodies and other compounds that systemically flood a patient’s entire body to target the cytokines. But psoriasis flare-ups are unpredictable, and so these treatment options are reactive. “If you realize ...
