Despite decades of treatment, tuberculosis (TB) is still one of the most persistent infectious diseases in the world today, however, recent discoveries are changing the way we perceive and treat TB. A groundbreaking study from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute illuminated the role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in TB immunity, including in individuals with inherited TNF deficiencies. Researchers uncovered critical insight into how the body fights TB using a revolutionary cell culture model of alveolar macrophages. This is a pivotal advance in infectious disease research, made possible by innovative laboratory tools and high-quality products like those from Biologix USA..

The Role of AML Cells in Tuberculosis Research

Immune cells known as alveolar macrophages are on the front line of defense in the lungs against bacteria, viruses and other harmful pathogens. However, it's often invasive and difficult to collect these cells for study. To do this, Texas Biomed researchers created alveolar macrophage-like (AML) cells—lab-fabricated cells that closely mimic natural alveolar macrophages. Studies of the immune responses to lung infections have become easier, and less expensive, using this model.

In a study published last month in Nature, researchers investigated the role of another immune protein, TNF, in TB using AML cells and other models. TNF turned out to trigger the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS), a prerequisite for killing Mycobacterium tuberculosis (the TB bacterium) within alveolar macrophages. The specific role in TB immunity is underscored by the genetic analysis of nonfunctional TNF individuals (who live with recurrent TB but are otherwise healthy) in the study. Although TNF's absence appears to make people more at risk of developing TB, rather than other infections, this finding overturns the conventional wisdom about TNF and raises the possibility that commensal bacteria, rather than pathogens, could be fighting back—even in a deadly inflammatory bacterium.

The generated alveolar macrophage-like cells (left) closely resemble human alveolar macrophages collected through lung washes (right), without the time, expense and invasive collection procedure.

Tuberculosis and TNF Deficiency: A New Perspective

The study considers an interesting case of immune adaptability through TNF deficiency. Researchers reported two cousins in Colombia with inherited TNF deficiencies and recurrent TB but without other health problems. That genetic predisposition offers a one-of-a-kind perspective on how immune responses may take up where TNF leaves, or how they might adjust in TNF’s absence. These cases also offer new possibilities for studying other immune pathways and treatment targets for TB and other inflammatory diseases.

Biologix USA: Supporting Innovative Biomedical Research

​​MSE Supplies' latest partner brand is Biologix USA, providing quality laboratory supplies, biobanking solutions, and disposable medical detection reagents to advance life sciences. Products from Biologix are sold under GMP-compliant and ISO-certified clean rooms and comply with the rigorous standards needed by scientific and medical research. Research infrastructures are supported by Biologix offerings so that scientists all around the globe can explore the edges of knowledge to investigate topics such as infectious disease modeling.

That's why reliable lab materials such as those from Biologix are crucial in studies like Texas Biomed’s, to produce consistent and high-quality cell culture environments. By providing these critical supplies, Biologix USA helps grow AML cells, such as these, that ultimately could yield breakthroughs in immune system response to pathogens.

Learn more about Biologix USA’s broad array of laboratory supplies and biobanking solutions designed to help accelerate research and serve the scientific community by visiting our website. Our team is here to provide further details—call us and we can discuss what products will work for what you need in your lab. Don’t forget to subscribe to our LinkedIn to be updated on the latest innovations that help modernize research around the world, as well as all of the industry collaboration, and incredible new product launches.

Source:

1. Texas Biomedical Research Institute. (2024, October 10). Human cell culture model of lung's most important immune cells. ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 1, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241010124722.htm
2. Arias, A. A., Neehus, A., Ogishi, M., Meynier, V., Krebs, A., Lazarov, T., Lee, A. M., Arango-Franco, C. A., Yang, R., Orrego, J., Berndt, M. C., Rojas, J., Li, H., Rinchai, D., Erazo-Borrás, L., Han, J. E., Pillay, B., Ponsin, K., Chaldebas, M., . . . Boisson-Dupuis, S. (2024). Tuberculosis in otherwise healthy adults with inherited TNF deficiency. Nature, 633(8029), 417–425. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07866-3
3. Petersen, L. (2023, November 28). Magic cocktail generates lung’s most critical immune cell in the lab - Texas Biomed. Texas Biomed. https://www.txbiomed.org/news-press/news/alveolar-macrophage-model/