Blood test to measure regulatory T cells

Sydney's Centenary Institute has announced a license agreement with global medical equipment company BD to commercialise a new blood test to measure regulatory T cells (Treg).

The test uses a new technique for measurement of Treg developed by Centenary Institute scientist Associate Professor Barbara Fazekas de St. Groth and colleagues at the Centre for Immunology at St Vincent's Hospital, the University of NSW and Rush University in the US.

"The licensing agreement with BD is a wonderful example of how discoveries made through research undertaken in our laboratories can be directly translated into medical advancements in the field and improved treatments for patients," Centenary's executive director, Professor Mathew Vadas, said.

The deal was facilitated by Bio-Link Partners, a commercialisation company supported by the NSW Office for Science and Medical Research.

Regulatory T cells are a specialised type of T cell that act to suppress activation of the immune system and thereby maintain immune system 'balance', preventing the immune system from attacking the body. Interest in Treg has grown as scientists work towards harnessing the immunosuppressive potential of these cells to treat autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and increase transplantation tolerance, or 'rein in' the cells to augment cancer immunotherapy.

The test will be used as a research tool to study regulatory T cell levels in autoimmune, inflammatory and allergic diseases (such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and eczema), to determine the risk of disease in patients and their families. The technology also has potential uses as a diagnostic test for these disorders, as well as infectious diseases such as HIV and tuberculosis, and cancer.

Ideally, cell therapies for a wide range of diseases - such as graft versus host disease, autoimmune diseases, allergies and inflammatory diseases - will be developed, based in part on information gained from Treg research.

"Regulatory T cells have previously been difficult to measure in humans and conventional methods identified less than a third of the total number," Fazekas said. "

The blood test we have developed allows us for the first time to accurately count the number of Treg cells in the body."

"The ability to better detect Treg cell deficits in autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease means that we can now identify individuals at risk of developing disease. The test can also be used to assess the effectiveness of new preventative treatments in the future."

Fazekas said the application of Treg analysis to diagnosis and treatment of these diseases is still in its infancy.

"Because this test is so much simpler to perform and interpret than previous tests, it should really speed up progress in the field of diagnosis of Treg abnormalities and better the understanding of the impact upon and treatment of these diseases," she said.