根据杜克大学医学院的科学家研究表明，他们可以通过在实验室产生稀少B淋巴细胞并把这些细胞注入体内，从而提供一种治疗严重自身免疫疾病（如多发性硬化症和关节炎）的有效方法。这项研究表明了在小鼠体内，一种有特别性质的B细胞可以正常控制免疫应答并且限制自身免疫。 基于对这种特殊B细胞的理解，研究者开始研究B细胞是否可以用于细胞疗法，从而利用这种B细胞的调节免疫应答和自身免疫的能力。

        参考：

        http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/diseases/lab-produced-cells-may-offer-new-treatment-for-autoimmune-diseases_19214.html

 Lab-produced cells may offer new treatment for autoimmune diseases

        London: A new method of reproducing a rare type of B cell in the laboratory and infusing it back into the body may provide an effective treatment for severe autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis or rheumatoid arthritis, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.

        The findings, which were demonstrated in mice, highlight the unique properties of a subset of B cells that normally controls immune responses and limits autoimmunity, in which an organism mistakenly attacks its own healthy tissue.

        B cells are the component of the immune system that creates antibodies, which fight pathogens like bacteria and viruses. However, a small subset of B cells, called regulatory B cells, works to suppress immune responses. These B cells are characterized by a cell-signaling protein called interleukin-10 (IL-10), giving these regulatory B cells the name B10 cells.

        While B10 cells are small in number, they are important for controlling inflammation and autoimmunity. B10 cells can also limit normal immune responses during infections, reducing inadvertent damage to healthy body tissue.

        “Regulatory B cells are a fairly new finding that we’re just beginning to understand,” said Thomas F. Tedder, PhD, professor of immunology at Duke and study author.

        “B10 cells are important because they make sure an immune response doesn’t get carried away, resulting in autoimmunity or pathology. This study shows for the first time that there is a highly controlled process that determines when and where these cells produce IL-10,” he stated.

        Tedder and his colleagues studied the process of IL-10 production in the B10 cells of mice. Creating IL-10 requires physical interactions between B10 cells and T cells, which play a role in turning on the immune system.

        The researchers found that B10 cells only respond to very specific antigens. Recognizing these antigens drives the function of B10 cells, causing them to turn off certain T cells when they bind the same antigen to prevent them from harming healthy tissue.

        With this understanding of B10 cells, researchers set out to learn whether B10 cells could be harnessed as a cellular therapy, given their ability to regulate immune responses and autoimmunity.

        “Since B10 cells are extremely rare, it was important that we find a feasible solution to reproduce these cells outside the body to make them available,” Tedder said.