‘If you don’t have inflammation, then you’ll die’

‘If you don’t have inflammation, then you’ll die’

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Inflammation, often misunderstood as solely harmful, is a fundamental bodily response that plays a crucial role in fighting infections and healing wounds. Recent scientific advancements have shifted the approach to managing inflammation, from trying to suppress it entirely to reprogramming it for therapeutic benefits.
According to a report in Live Science, historically, medical approaches aimed to suppress inflammation entirely, which often led to undesirable side effects and was not always effective.Presently, researchers are focusing on developing treatments that modulate rather than eliminate inflammation. These new therapies aim to reprogram the cells that drive inflammation.
In certain conditions like cancer, where tumors exploit the healing aspect of inflammation for growth, the approach is to reinvigorate the inflammatory response to combat these cancer cells. This nuanced understanding of inflammation allows for more targeted and effective treatments.

Why it matters

  • Essential for survival: Ed Rainger, a University of Birmingham professor, underscores the importance of inflammation: “If you don’t have inflammation, then you’ll die… It’s as simple as that.”
  • Dual nature: Initially protective, inflammation can become detrimental if it turns chronic, leading to conditions like cirrhosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and heart disease.

It’s often perceived negatively due to its association with chronic diseases.
Scientists are exploring ways to harness and modify the inflammatory response for therapeutic purposes.

The big picture

  • Historical treatments: Past treatments aimed to suppress all inflammation, often causing side effects and yielding inconsistent results.
  • New strategies: Present research focuses on modulating inflammation, not eliminating it, but altering the cells driving it.
  • Cancer therapy innovations: In cancer, where tumors manipulate inflammation, treatments are now aimed at reactivating inflammation’s combative state to target cancer cells.

What they’re saying

  • Context-dependent role: “If you can do that, then you can let the immune system and the inflammatory response get on with it, just in a normal way,” Rainger explains, emphasizing the need for controlled inflammation.
  • Acute vs chronic: Robert Anthony from Harvard University describes acute inflammation’s purpose: “The whole point of inflammation is to control an infection, stop it spreading and then allow the healing process to start.”
  • Chronic inflammation risks: When acute inflammation fails to resolve, it transitions into a harmful chronic phase, involving persistent cytokine production and tissue damage.

There’s an emphasis on understanding how the body naturally switches off acute inflammation.
Innovations in this field could revolutionize the way inflammatory diseases are treated.

Next steps

  • Targeted therapies: Scientists like Dr Chris Buckley are identifying critical cells in specific tissues to develop more effective treatments.
  • Reframing inflammation: The current shift in research views inflammation not just as a fault but as a potent force that can be controlled and used positively in medical treatments.

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