11/17 Biomira Discovers a Potentially Novel Role For MUC1 In Regulation of Human T-Cells
Findings Could Impact Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases And Other Immune System Disorders
EDMONTON, Alberta, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Biomira Inc. (Nasdaq: BIOM; Toronto and Montreal:BRA) today announced the presentation of new data at the XXVII Meeting of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine, held last week in Kyoto, Japan, that suggests an important role of the MUC1 mucin in regulating the function of human T-cells. This research and the exciting new data relating thereto may lead to important new ways to control the immune system and, as a result, to the development of novel products for treating T-cell disorders such as autoimmune diseases.
Babita Agrawal, Ph.D., Manager and Head of Immunology Research at Biomira, presented at the Kyoto meeting. His presentation, which confirms and extends the results of a Biomira publication (Agrawal et al, Expression of MUC1 Mucin on Activated Human T-Cells:Implications for a Role of MUC1 in Normal Immune Regulation. Cancer Research 58:4079-4081, 1998) describes the surprising and unexpected discovery that human T-cells, the disease fighting cells of the immune system, express MUC1 whenever they are activated and then lose expression of MUC1 once the T-cells return to their "resting" state. MUC1 is a mucin normally expressed on luminal surfaces of epithelial cells. If activated, T-cells expressing MUC1 can be blocked by antibodies and, Biomira's scientists believe, prevented from attacking healthy tissue.
"Our extensive research in cancer has led us to an improved understanding of the role of MUC1 in the immune system", commented Michael Longenecker, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Research and Development at Biomira. "Our experiments show that if we treat human T-cells during their activation process with anti-MUC1 antibodies, those T-cells are no longer activated and are not capable of generating an immune response. This may be an important new finding in the search for non-toxic approaches to down regulate the immune system in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases and organ transplantation, where the immune system erroneously attacks healthy tissue."
Biomira researchers plan to follow-up this research with further pre-clinical studies geared towards determining the modulating effect of MUC1 on T-cells in various disease states. At the same time, the Company has initiated a search to find a suitable partner to help develop potential therapeutic products based on this discovery.
According to Dr. Longenecker, "Patents are pending with respect to this discovery. This and other discoveries made by Biomira's scientists are helping us to understand not only the role of the immune system in certain cancers, but also in other devastating and life-threatening diseases. This may create out-licensing opportunities for Biomira, which we will pursue as we move this product candidate forward." |
