Reversing the Autoimmune Condition: Experience with Experimental Autoimmune Gastritis

Abstract

Autoimmune diseases remain a significant health problem in our society, despite the best efforts to understand and treat these conditions. Current clinical treatments are aimed at alleviating the consequences of these diseases, with limited prospects for cure. Our studies with the experimental model of autoimmune gastritis have led us to explore potential curative strategies that can reverse the autoimmune condition. Using mouse models, we have shown that expression of the known gastric autoantigen in the thymus results in immunological tolerance and resistance to the induction of autoimmune gastritis. Also, induced tolerance in donor mice can be transferred to syngeneic recipient mice by bone marrow cells. Strategies based on these observations could lead to reversal of established disease. Transfer of ensuing knowledge to the cure of serious human autoimmune diseases is our ultimate goal.

Key Words:

• Autoimmune gastritis
• tolerance
• transgenic
• bone marrow transplantation

Notes

Supported by a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. We thank Ian Mackay for critical reading of the manuscript.