The Hunt For Cures: Autoimmune Diseases

New Ways to Intervene When the Body Attacks Itself

A healthy immune system is the body's best ally--an automated engine of biological warfare that can destroy almost any microbial parasite it encounters. But, like all other agents of destruction, when it spirals out of control, it is as deadly to friend as it is to foe.

Fifteen million Americans know this in their bones. They are victims of a group of more than 40 disorders that arise when the immune system launches a sustained attack against the body. Ailments as diverse as psoriasis, multiple sclerosis and Type I diabetes are all caused by an immune system run amuck. No one...

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