“Scientists are investigating a way to use temporary tattoos that deliver nanoparticles to treat autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. “Placed just under the skin, the carbon-based particles form a dark spot that fades over about one week as they are slowly released into the circulation,” says Christine Beeton, a scientist at Baylor College of Medicine. The tiny particles, modified with polyethylene glycol, are conveniently choosy as they are taken up by cells in the immune system… T and B lymphocyte cells and macrophages are key components of the immune system. However, in many autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, T cells are the key players. One suspected cause is that T cells lose their ability to distinguish between invaders and healthy tissue and attack both. In tests at Baylor, nanoparticles were internalized by T cells, which inhibited their function, but ignored by macrophages. “The ability to selectively inhibit one type of cell over others in the same environment may help doctors gain more control over autoimmune diseases,” says Beeton. “The majority of current treatments are general, broad-spectrum immunosuppressants,” says Redwan Huq, lead author of the Nature study and a graduate student in the Beeton lab. “They’re going to affect all of these cells, but patients are exposed to side effects (ranging) from infections to increased chances of developing cancer.”

• Redwan Huq, et al  – Preferential uptake of antioxidant carbon nanoparticles by T lymphocytes for immunomodulation – Scientific Reports 6, Article number: 33808 (2016) doi:10.1038/srep33808.