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A researcher from the Université de Montréal and the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital has discovered the mechanism that prevents the regeneration of CD4+ T lymphocytes, which are white cells that are required for the proper functioning of the immune system.

Published today in the prestigious journal Nature Immunology, this study by Dr. Martin Guimond is likely to have a major impact on patients who undergo intensive chemotherapy, receive bone marrow transplants or become infected with HIV.

Regeneration of the immune system

Chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants are effective methods for treating patients suffering from leukaemia or other blood cancers. Unfortunately, due to the massive destruction of T lymphocytes, these kinds of treatments cause a major weakening of the immune system. Immunity can then take many years to regenerate and leave patients highly vulnerable to infections.

Dr. Guimond's study identified a negative regulation loop that restricts the ability of T lymphocytes to divide. "By acting on this regulation loop, we can create a homeostatic production of CD4+ T lymphocytes that will allow the immune system to regenerate," says Dr. Guimond, who recently joined the Research Centre of the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital.