Researchers Find Off Protein For Immune System

canning writes "A team of Canadian scientists has discovered the "Holy Grail" of the signalling process the human body uses to control its immune system, a finding that could one day halt the development of cancer, diabetes, arthritis and heart disease. This article explains what Dr. Penninger's team plans to accomplish with such a discovery and gives a brief history of this highly successful group of researchers."

Comments

Re:Diabetes?

[Mindwarp]

Type 1 diabetes is almost always caused by an incorrect immune system response. In type 1 diabetes, the immune system typically attacks the Beta cells in your pancreas that create Insulin for you.

Arthritis (more specifically rheumatoid arthritis) is caused by the body's immune system attacking the cartiledge layers in between your joints. Under attack the cartiledge layers become inflamed, causing the characteristic joint swelling and immobility.

Heart Disease is a common term to describe medical conditions that cause damage to the heart. These can be physical conditions (such as obstructions to the blood supply to the heart), viral/bacterial infections, or auto-immune responses.

More information on Diabetes can be found at the American Diabetes Association. Information on Rheumatoid Arthritis can be found at the Arthritis Foundation

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You cannot escape natural selection

[StrawberryFrog]

> - the fittest no longer survive.

A common misconception. Darwin's use of the word "fittest" *does not* mean "most healthy", it means "best fit to the environment". All that's happened is that the environmental selection criteria have changed. Our environment, for instance, is no longer so unfriendly towards short-sighted people.

> Now everyone makes it,

Do they? Do homeless people have as many children as .com billionaires? Do Dumb/unlucky/reckless people still get killed before they breed? Is there still differential reproduction based on some (any) criteria? Point made already.

You cannot escape natural selection. Ever.

Anyway, for 80% of the earth's population, the selection criteria are the same as they ever where. Which is why whilst Americans are getting fatter, lazier and dumber, they will eventually be wiped out by the tougher, craftier Somalis. This IMHO a good thing - the good of the individual is not the good of the species.