Liliane Brunner Halbach’s Post

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Translating Research for Patients | Supporting Innovation in Women‘s Health I BoD

Fascinating research on mechanisms steering our immune response by looking into differences in female versus male cells. A team from the Stanford University School of Medicine has discovered a mechanism that could explain the higher prevalence of autoimmune diseases in women published in Cell Press. It highlights how performing more research on the differences between male and female systems (cells, organoids, animal models, and clinical trials) offers new ways for researchers and drug developers to better understand disease mechanisms and find new targets to develop safer and more effective treatments for autoimmune and other diseases for both men and women.   Females have two X chromosomes, containing a large part of the information for our immune system, while males have one X and one Y chromosome. To ensure the balanced expression of X-linked genes, females undergo a process called X-chromosome inactivation, where one of the X chromosomes in each cell is turned off. This process is facilitated by a specific type of RNA called Xist, which attracts proteins to silence the extra X chromosome. The Stanford team identified nearly 100 proteins involved in this process. Many of these proteins are related to autoimmune disorders, suggesting a potential link between Xist and the immune system. One comment of the author emphasizes the opportunities for researchers to compare sex differences starting in cells: 'Every cell in a woman’s body produces Xist. But for several decades, we’ve used a male cell line as the standard of reference', while 80% of patients with autoimmune diseases are women. Researching the different cellular mechanisms between female and male systems, as highlighted in the X-chromosome inactivation process and its associated proteins, presents promising areas for research. This finding could lead to valuable insights for developing diagnostic tests and safer and more effective treatments for both men and women. The publication is also subject to this NYT article 'Why Do Women Have More Autoimmune Diseases? Study Points to X Chromosome': https://lnkd.in/d4XhNxKU #research #autoimmune #sexdifferences #drugdevelopment #diseaseprevalence #biomedicalresearch #opportunitiesforgroundbreakingresearch #precisionmedicine

Stanford Medicine-led study shows why women are at greater risk of autoimmune disease

Stanford Medicine-led study shows why women are at greater risk of autoimmune disease

med.stanford.edu

Sylvia P.

Head of Legal | IP | Transactions | Life Sciences | Technology | Data | Health Equity

8mo

Thanks for sharing, Liliane! Interesting insights.

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