New target for autoimmune disease could enable therapies with fewer side effects

Researchers—including Professor Ronald Evans, Associate Professor Ye Zheng, first author Christina Chang and colleagues—have discovered a way to stop certain immune system cells from mistakenly attacking the body. Their findings suggest a new way to target Th17 helper T cells, a type of immune cell that produces interleukin-17, a molecule known to be at the root of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.