Canagliflozin, a diabetes drug, may be repurposed to treat autoimmune conditions by regulating T-cell activation, according to Swansea University scientists. This offers a quicker route to scientific application due to its already-established safety profile.
Research study carried out by scholars at Swansea University has found that canagliflozin, a drug typically utilized to deal with type 2 diabetes, may likewise have possible therapeutic applications for autoimmune conditions.
The examination performed by the Universitys Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Science indicated that canagliflozin (likewise called Invokana) might be effectively utilized in combating autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. This is because the drug targets T-cells, an essential part of the body immune system.
Canagliflozin is a drug that controls blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, however, scientists have discovered an unanticipated role for the drug including the human immune system.
Existing research has actually reported that targeting T-cell metabolic process in autoimmunity can cause restorative benefits. T-cells are a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infections and diseases, however in autoimmune diseases, they have actually been observed to assault healthy tissues.
The brand-new research study, funded by the Medical Research Council and recently published in the journal Cell Metabolism, found that canagliflozin moistens down T-cell activation, suggesting that the drug could be repurposed as a treatment for T-cell-driven autoimmunity.
Dr Nick Jones, senior author who led the study stated: “Our findings are considerable as they provide the foundation for the medical development of canagliflozin for the treatment of specific autoimmune diseases. As the drug is currently commonly utilized and has a recognized security profile in humans, it could potentially reach clinic quicker than any new drugs established and bring valuable advantages more swiftly to clients with autoimmune conditions.”
Ben Jenkins, first author and postdoctoral scientist at Swansea stated: “Identifying new roles for drugs that are presently being utilized in other illness settings is an exciting location of research study. Offered that our research study mostly targets the metabolic process of immune cells, we hope that the potential restorative benefits of our findings apply to a wide variety of conditions.”
The scientists are enthusiastic that canagliflozin will get in a medical trial to treat certain autoimmune conditions in the future.
Referral: “Canagliflozin impairs T cell effector function through metabolic suppression in autoimmunity” by Benjamin J. Jenkins, Julianna Blagih, Fernando M. Ponce-Garcia, Mary Canavan, Nancy Gudgeon, Simon Eastham, David Hill, Megan M. Hanlon, Eric H. Ma, Emma L. Bishop, April Rees, James G. Cronin, Elizabeth C. Jury, Sarah K. Dimeloe, Douglas J. Veale, Catherine A. Thornton, Karen H. Vousden, David K. Finlay, Ursula Fearon, Gareth W. Jones and Nicholas Jones, 24 May 2023, Cell Metabolism.DOI: 10.1016/ j.cmet.2023.05.001.
