Discovery could change the landscape of autoimmune therapy, according to study
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which antibodies block communication between nerves and muscles, leading to skeletal muscle weakness. It can cause double vision, difficulty swallowing, and occasional severe breathing problems, among other symptoms. Many autoimmune diseases like MG, as well as a number of other human diseases, result from the inability to regulate the activity of IgG antibodies – these diseases are collectively referred to as IgG-mediated pathologies. In a paper published this month in Cell, researchers at Emory University have discovered a family of enzymes that reduce IgG-mediated pathologies in diseases like MG. The findings, conducted in mouse models, show that a particular enzyme (an endoglycosidase called CU43) was particularly effective in treating diseases caused by overactive antibodies. The newly discovered enzyme was used to treat a range of different IgG-mediated pathologies in mice and proved…

