Mumbai, July 2: Scientists have identified the gene that strengthens the human immunity system. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia identified the gene that plays a critical role in regulating the body's immune response to infection including cancer and diabetes.
CSIRO researcher, Cameron Stewart said in a statement that the identification could lead to the development of new treatments for a variety of diseases including cancer, diabetes and inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Scientists said, the yet unnamed gene, currently referred to as C6 or f106 has existed for more than 500 million years, preserved and passed down from simple organisms all the way to humans.
Our immune system produces proteins called cytokines that help fortify the immune system and work to prevent viruses and other pathogens from replicating and causing disease.
C6 regulates this process by switching off the production of certain cytokines to stop our immune response from spiraling out of control.
The cytokines regulated by C6 are implicated in a variety of diseases including cancer, diabetes and inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Now the CSIRO has opened an opportunity where we can help them to name this gene online by giving it a name. The following link contains all the details.