New article: A new microscope identifies clues into rare autoimmune disorder read more at here http://www.spinonews.com/index.php/medical-news/item/3361-a-new-microscope-identifies-clues-into-rare-autoimmune-disorder

Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, have found a new type of microscope, capable of illuminating living cell structures in clear detail, could provide insight into autoimmune diseases and lead to new treatment options.

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), a rare autoimmune disorder that results in paralysis and blindness. Using a custom STED (Stimulated Emission Depletion) microscope, researchers were able to actually see clusters of antibodies atop astrocytes, the brain cell target of the autoimmune response in the disease.

Professor Jeffrey Bennett, senior author of the study, said, using STED we discovered the natural clustering of antibodies on the surface of target cells. This could potentially correspond with their ability to damage the cells.

 

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Researchers said, once the antibody attaches to the surface of the astrocyte, we are witnessing the first steps in the disease process. When that domino effect begins, it's hard to stop. But, the ability to see the antibodies on the brain cells offer a chance to develop targeted therapies that do not suppress the body's immune system like current treatments for the disease do.

The breakthrough was made possible with the STED microscope, a complex instrument that uses lasers to achieve extreme precision and clarity.

According to researchers, lower resolution microscopes are dimmer than the STED due to diffraction of light. But the STED's lasers illuminate a smaller area to acquire a higher resolution image. Unlike electron microscopes, STED users can see entire living cells at extremely high resolution.

The researchers said the discovery is the result of a unique partnership between clinical neurology, immunology and neuroscience coming together to solve a fundamental question of how antibodies can initiate targeted injury in an autoimmune disease.

More information: [Biophysical Journal]