Mij
Senior Member (Voting Rights)
Scientists have uncovered more than 1,000 switches that may help explain why women's stronger immune defenses also leave them for more vulnerable to autoimmune disease.
Date: August 20, 2026
Source: Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Summary: More than 1,000 genetic switches behave differently in male and female immune cells, helping explain why women are much more vulnerable to autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Female immune systems appear genetically tuned for stronger inflammatory responses—a powerful defense against infection that may also make dangerous immune misfires more likely.
"Our findings add strong evidence that female and male autoimmune diseases may not be the same, and the way we should treat them may not necessarily be the same. Currently, clinicians rely on a one-size-fits-all management approach for most autoimmune diseases -- a more inclusive approach is needed," says Dr. Yazar.
"If we want to realize the potential of precision medicine, we have to understand these fundamental biological variables," says Professor Joseph Powell, co-senior author and Director of Garvan's Translational Genomics Program. "Treatments need to be tailored not just to the disease, but to how a patient's immune system operates at a baseline genetic level."
Date: August 20, 2026
Source: Garvan Institute of Medical Research
Summary: More than 1,000 genetic switches behave differently in male and female immune cells, helping explain why women are much more vulnerable to autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Female immune systems appear genetically tuned for stronger inflammatory responses—a powerful defense against infection that may also make dangerous immune misfires more likely.
"Our findings add strong evidence that female and male autoimmune diseases may not be the same, and the way we should treat them may not necessarily be the same. Currently, clinicians rely on a one-size-fits-all management approach for most autoimmune diseases -- a more inclusive approach is needed," says Dr. Yazar.
"If we want to realize the potential of precision medicine, we have to understand these fundamental biological variables," says Professor Joseph Powell, co-senior author and Director of Garvan's Translational Genomics Program. "Treatments need to be tailored not just to the disease, but to how a patient's immune system operates at a baseline genetic level."
