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| Professor Bryan Williams Photo: Derrick den Hollander |
Victorian researchers have discovered a protein that acts as a brake on inflammation, which could help the bid to better treat cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
The MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research team have not only uncovered that the protein plays a crucial role in the inflammation process, but they have unravelled how it works. Previously the protein, PLZF, has been found to be involved in a rare form of childhood leukaemia, but this discovery is the first to uncover its role in inflammation.
“Inflammation is a normal reaction to injury or exposure to an infectious agent — a little bit is good, but a lot is very bad,” said institute director and one of the paper’s lead authors, Professor Bryan Williams.
The MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research team have not only uncovered that the protein plays a crucial role in the inflammation process, but they have unravelled how it works. Previously the protein, PLZF, has been found to be involved in a rare form of childhood leukaemia, but this discovery is the first to uncover its role in inflammation.
“Inflammation is a normal reaction to injury or exposure to an infectious agent — a little bit is good, but a lot is very bad,” said institute director and one of the paper’s lead authors, Professor Bryan Williams.
