Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.
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January 17, 2003
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Australian Researchers Close in on Arthritis Vaccine"
Agence France Presse (www.afp.com/english/home) (01/16/03)
Australian researchers have located a molecule that reverses a process in which a body's autoimmune system attacks its own tissues. The discovery, reported in the journal Immunity, could lead to a rheumatoid arthritis vaccine. Human testing of such a product is at least two years away. Researcher Ranjeny Thomas notes that existing joint damage would not be reversed by the vaccine, only that future destruction would be averted.
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