A recent study offers hope that new drugs to treat autoimmune disorders and patients with organ transplants may available down the road. Researchers at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine found that a fatty membrane called in the belly called omentum historically thought to be virtually useless may in fact help regulate the immune system. The report was published on June 6th on the journal PLoS One.
In a news release from the university, the study's corresponding author, Makio Iwashima, an associate professor in the microbiology and immunology department, wrote: "We now have evidence that the omentum is not just fat sitting in the belly."
The team believes their finding could lead to the development of drugs aimed at suppressing the immune response, and that these medications would have fewer side effects than those now being used.
As always, however, research on animals should be considered preliminary until results have be replicated in humans.
