Vagus nerve activation of the spleen shows promise to treat infections, Feinstein Institutes research
2024年4月27日 - 4:19AM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
One of the main roles of the spleen is to help the body’s immune
system fight infections. The spleen does this through producing and
regulating antibodies – antibody production is negatively affected
in various conditions, including sepsis and autoimmune diseases
like lupus. New research published in Science Advances by The
Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research scientists shows that
activation of the vagus nerve triggers the spleen, thereby
regulating the production of antibodies. This research highlights
how the nervous system regulates immunity and suggests potential
for non-pharmalogical, vagus nerve modulation to treat a variety of
diseases, like lupus and sepsis.
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Drs. Stavros Zanos and Betty Diamond’s
new research was published in Science Advances. (Credit: Feinstein
Institutes)
This research –led by Betty Diamond, MD, director of the
Institute of Molecular Medicine, in collaboration with Stavros
Zanos, MD, PhD, associate professor in the Institute of
Bioelectronic Medicine and Barbara Sherry, PhD, professor at the
Feinstein Institutes – found that chronic stimulation of the vagus
nerve led to a decrease in the production of specific antibodies by
splenic B cells that attack and destroy foreign invaders and are
able to prevent disease in the future by remembering what those
substances look like. This decrease was associated with changes in
the way B cells matured and survived in the body, as well as
alterations in the functional organization of other immune
cells.
“Although we have a good understanding of the role of the vagus
nerve in the regulation of the inflammatory response and the innate
immune system, this study provides new insights in how the vagus
nerve regulates adaptive immunity and the functions of B cells,”
said. Dr. Diamond. “Better understanding these mechanisms will
elucidate how altered function of the vagus nerve in conditions
like sepsis and autoimmune disease may impact immune function and
could lead to new therapeutic approaches for these conditions.”
In the study, the Feinstein Institutes team discovered that
acetylcholine released in response to vagus nerve stimulation (VNS)
directly affects B cells by interacting with specific receptors on
their surface, thereby altering their ability to produce signaling
molecules and mature.
"Consistent stimulation of the vagus nerve in mice allows us to
explore the therapeutic possibilities of bioelectronic medicine in
new diseases,” said Dr. Zanos. “These exciting findings warrant
further investigation and eventually studies in humans to explore
the extent to which vagus nerve stimulation, and other
bioelectronic medicine approaches, could become treatment options
for diseases involving adaptive immunity."
For more than four decades, Dr. Diamond has dedicated her career
to the study of DNA-reactive B cells, autoantibodies and their
origin and effect on the body. In May 2022, in recognition of her
breakthrough achievements in molecular medicine and original
research, The National Academy of Sciences elected Dr. Diamond as
one of its newest members.
Dr. Zanos’s research focus is on understanding the anatomy and
physiology of the vagus nerve and the effects vagus nerve
stimulation has in inflammation and cardiovascular diseases. This
study builds on a 2021 paper by Dr. Zanos’ group in which they
described the development and characterization of the first chronic
VNS implant in mice. Recently, Dr. Zanos was awarded $6.7 million
from the National Institutes of Health to lead a cross-insititonal
research team to develop a detailed map of the anatomy of the human
vagus nerve and all its more than 100,000 fibers.
“While we understand the spleen is an essential part of the
immune system, finding that stimulation of the vagus nerve effects
the regulation of adaptive immunity by this critical organ is novel
and important," said Kevin J. Tracey, MD, president and CEO of the
Feinstein Institutes and Karches Family Distinguished Chair in
Medical Research. "The research by Drs. Diamond and Zanos
highlights the need to continue producing knowledge about
bioelectronic medicine's potential to treat or prevent autoimmune
disease.”
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the global
scientific home of bioelectronic medicine, which combines molecular
medicine, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering. At the
Feinstein Institutes, medical researchers use modern technology to
develop new device-based therapies to treat disease and injury.
Building on years of research in molecular disease mechanisms
and the link between the nervous and immune systems, our
researchers discover neural targets that can be activated or
inhibited with neuromodulation devices, like vagus nerve implants,
to control the body's immune response and inflammation. If
inflammation is successfully controlled, diseases – such as
arthritis, pulmonary hypertension, Crohn's disease, inflammatory
bowel diseases, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases – can be
treated more effectively.
Beyond inflammation, using novel brain-computer interfaces,
Feinstein Institutes' researchers developed techniques to bypass
injuries of the nervous system so that people living with paralysis
can regain sensation and use their limbs. By producing
bioelectronic medicine knowledge, disease and injury could one day
be treated with our own nerves without costly and potentially
harmful pharmaceuticals.
About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the
research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care
provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50
research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000
researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard
of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral
science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, and
molecular medicine. We make breakthroughs in genetics, oncology,
brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and are the global
scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – a new field of
science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more
information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit
http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.
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Julianne Mosher Allen 516-880-4824
jmosherallen@northwell.edu