Researchers at the Universities of Bonn and Sao Paulo have succeeded in mitigating chronic inflammation in mice using customized "mini-antibodies." These nanobodies enabled them to dissolve molecular complexes in tissue that normally activate the immune system. The nanobodies produced may in future help to slow down unwanted inflammatory reactions that cause diseases such as arthritis or neurodegeneration. The study is published in the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine.

Not only the villas of the rich and famous have a direct line to the police. The cells in our body also have a sophisticated alarm system, the inflammasome. Its central component is the so-called ASC protein. In the event of danger, such as an attack by a pathogen, many of these molecules join together to form a large complex, the ASC speck. This ensures two things: First, its activity causes the cell to accumulate large quantities of messenger substances, which can be used to summon the help of the immune system. And secondly, numerous pores are formed in the cell membrane through which these alarm molecules can reach the outside and fulfill their task.