The
Hindu (From
left) A.N. Malaviya, former professor of Medicine and chief of Clinical
Immunology and Rheumatology, All India Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi,
S. Rangamani, Vice Chancellor of Sri Ramachandra University and S.P.
Thyagarajan, Pro-Chancellor (Research), at an endowment oration in Chennai on
Saturday. Photo: S.S. Kumar
Enzyme IDO effective against disorder: A.N. Malaviya
Ongoing
research on an enzyme, IDO, has shown a lot of promise in being able to
treat autoimmune disorders, A.N. Malaviya, former Professor and Head of
Medicine and chief of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology Services,
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, said.
IDO,
which is present in the peripheral mechanism, is likely to emerge as
the drug for the future to control autoimmune diseases, Dr. Malaviya
explained. Further research would have to validate these initial
results.
Auto immune disorders are caused when the body's immune system begins attacking its own cells, mistaking them to be foreign.
Normally,
the immune system can differentiate between self and non-self cells,
and is tasked with attacking the latter, which may consist of viruses
and bacteria. However, if, at any point, the immune system stops
tolerating the body's own tissues, and begins attacking them, then the
person develops autoimmune disorder.
He
was delivering the First Vice-Chancellor Dr. Lalitha Kameswaran
Felicitation Committee Endowment Oration on ‘Recent advances in
autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases,' at Sri Ramachandra University
here on Saturday.
Dr.
Malaviya also indicated that since he set up the Centre for Autoimmune
Diseases at the AIIMS, the number of cases had risen steadily. He traced
a link between increasing urbanisation, industrialisation, and the
resultant pollution increasing the incidence of autoimmune
diseases/disorders in the population.
S.P.
Thyagarajan, Pro-Chancellor (Research), S. Rangaswami, Vice-Chancellor,
S. Anandan, Dean, Medical College of Sri Ramachandra University, and
A.N. Chandra Sekaran, chairman, felicitation committee, were among those
who spoke. S. Kameswaran, senior ENT surgeon and husband of the late
Lalitha Kameswaran, was present.
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