I am a type 1 Diabetic. Why did my immune system target and specifically kill just the insulin secreting cells of my pancreas? Why not target other organs too?
In: Biology
The way our body makes T-cells and antibodies (B-cells) is incredible. There are genes that code for receptors, that mutate in very controlled ways to create billions of different receptors that can recognize basically any foreign substance. When a single cell with the right receptor finds it’s match, it rapidly multiplies and attacks it.
The problem is, these mutations are random and end up making receptors that recognize stuff inside the body! Your immune system also has ways of filtering those out – autoimmune disease is when *this process* doesn’t work correctly.
You have B-cells and T-cells that recognize your insulin secreting cells as their target and all the regulatory mechanisms have failed to stop them. Modern treatments like Teplizumab work to slow down the activity of your immune system, some work to speed up the regulatory systems that suppress these reactions. The sci-fi future is being able to kill off those self-reactive cells – which yes we’re working on.
Latest Answers