M I D W AY N E W S
A New Trigger in Celiac Disease
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n celiac disease, the immune defenses of the gut are triggered by what should be a harmless visitor: gluten, a dietary protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Currently, celiac disease patients have no better option than to avoid foods containing gluten. But in a recent paper, scientists located an immune factor in those patients that may be a trigger — and a potential treatment target — for celiac disease and other food allergies. A multi-center team, including several researchers from the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, studied the signal interleukin-15 (IL-15), which is elevated in celiac patients. Normally, immune factors known as regulatory T cells suppress the immune response to foods, but IL-15 interferes with this protection. When scientists increased IL-15 levels in mice, they exhibited symptoms of early celiac disease. Conversely, when the signal was blocked, the mice recovered. When another factor was added to the mix — retinoic acid, or vitamin A — the symptoms of celiac disease were even stronger in the mice. The result was unexpected, as vitamin A is occasionally prescribed to suppress inflammation in the gut. But
Bana Jabri, MD, PhD, is the senior author of a study that looked at an immune factor that could be a trigger and treatment target for celiac disease. Photo by Bruce Powell
it helps explain an observed link between acne medications based on retinoic acid and inflammatory bowel disease. The research suggests that a “dysregulated intestinal environment may be the underlying cause for food allergies,” said Bana Jabri, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine and pathology, and senior
author of the paper published in Nature in March. Moving back and forth between “human data, where we develop our ideas, and mouse experiments, where we test them,” was extremely helpful, Jabri said. “In turn, the mouse model gave us insights into the human disease.” ■
Pediatric Specialist Dies on Rafting Trip
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ames Nachman, MD, pediatric cancer specialist and professor of pediatrics at the University of Chicago, died June 10 of a heart attack while on a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. Nachman was an authority in the medical management of childhood cancers, particularly in leukemia and lymphoma. He helped develop a treatment regimen known as “augmented post-induction therapy” for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and led the clinical trial, published in 1998, which demonstrated a substantial improvement in survival for patients with the disease who had a slow response to initial therapy. These studies helped lead to the high cure rate for this disease today. Nachman also was a key player among Chicago specialists in the treatment of bone and soft tissue sarcomas, serving as the medical oncologist for the University of Chicago’s limb-salvage program, which works to save the arms and legs of adolescents with bone cancer.
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“He was an incredible chemotherapist, devising novel therapies for patients who did not respond to standard therapies,” said colleague Charles Rubin, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Chicago. “Jim was totally devoted to his work. He spent all of his time taking care of patients, teaching students, residents and fellows. He always encouraged the patients to live their lives and do everything that other kids do. He helped them by obtaining tickets for ball games and insisting on them going to school. There was no one quite like him.” Nachman was active in the national Children’s Oncology Group, and he chaired three international committees on the use of augmented acute lymphoblastic leukemia therapy. He was also a founding member of the Ponte de Legno ALL Consortium. A recognized yet accessible leader in his field, he served as a consultant for physicians dealing with difficult cases from around the world. ■
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Internationally known cancer expert James Nachman, MD, served as the medical oncologist for the University of Chicago’s limb-salvage program, working to save the arms and legs of adolescents with bone cancer.