Leprosy is a tropical disease that has been largely overlooked but which affects over 200,000 people every year. Inflammations of the skin and nerves may lead to disfigurement. Many people do not react well to anti-inflammatory drugs. British and Ethiopian researchers want to understand why.
There is an effective antibiotic treatment against leprosy infection which kills the bacteria. Nevertheless, around half of all patients develop severe inflammation of the skin and nerves. The reason: a dysregulated immune system. By gaining a better understanding about this dysregulation, it may be possible to predict which individuals are likely to develop severe leprosy infections. In this way, a better treatment can be developed.
Investigating immune responses
With funding provided by Dioraphte, scientists from the London Hospital for Tropical Diseases and the Armauer Hansen Research Institute in Addis Ababa are investigating the sources of the problem. They are monitoring patients in the UK and Ethiopia over a two-year period. Who will develop severe immune dysregulation? And which factors are causing this?
Person-centred therapy
The objective is to develop a more person-centred therapy. Imagine the targeted use of anti-inflammatory medication to suit someone’s genetic profile. This would also reduce the side effects that often impede the continued use of anti-inflammatories for an extended period of time. An even more challenging goal: to predict the patients who will develop immune reactions in order to provide earlier intervention. In this way, doctors would be able to nip serious inflammation in the bud.
