Privately-held BioAegis Therapeutics has announced that researchers have identified a previously unknown role of the protein gelsolin in regulating immune responses.
BioAegis’s therapeutic focus is to restore waning gelsolin levels associated with disease.
In a paper published in The Journal of Immunology, researchers reported that the gelsolin is involved in a signaling system in macrophages, which are a type of white blood cell. In particular, the paper found that macrophages exhibit quorum sensing, which involves regulating gene expression based on changes in cell-population density. While scientists have long known about bacterial quorum sensing, they were previously unaware of its role in regulating immune cell inflammatory responses.
The North Brunswick, New Jersey–based company reported that it is inspired by the therapeutic implications of the findings. “There are many layers to the science underlying gelsolin’s role as a master regulator in immu…