The challenge
Autoimmune diseases affect around 10% of Australians and include more than 80 conditions in which the immune system incorrectly attacks the body’s own cells, leading to tissue damage and painful inflammation. Women are more commonly affected than men, representing 75% of cases, though the reasons for this remain unknown.
While autoimmune diseases often run in families, their genetic drivers are not well understood. Scientists have identified thousands of genetic risk markers, but for most, their biological function remains unclear.
Without this understanding, it is difficult to identify who is most at risk or to develop more precise and effective treatments.
The research
Dr Hamish King and his team at WEHI are taking a “disease agnostic” approach, studying the genetics of 30 common autoimmune diseases to identify new genes involved in autoimmune disease. Using this approach, the team has analysed nearly 800 autoimmune risk markers, generating important molecular insights into what drives these diseases and how they progress.
One example comes from lupus. Researchers found that a genetic variant increases the activity of a key immune gene called cRel, which may help to explain why some people are more likely to develop the disease. This finding highlights a potential therapeutic strategy: targeting cRel to slow or prevent disease progression.
Importantly, this is not an isolated case. Researchers have identified hundreds of similar discoveries across other autoimmune conditions.
The role of philanthropy
Hearts & Minds funding, as nominated by Munro Partners, has enabled this work to be scaled significantly, allowing researchers to study hundreds of risk markers rather than a small subset.
It has also supported the development of specialised molecular tools required for this type of research, positioning the King lab at WEHI as one of only a few laboratories globally capable of conducting this work in B cells - a cell type highly relevant to autoimmune disease that has proven very difficult to work with in the past. Importantly, more than 15 genes identified through this research are already being explored as potential therapeutic targets in drug development.
What this could unlock
Beyond identifying new treatment targets, this work is beginning to shift how autoimmune diseases may one day be understood and managed.
The findings could help support future approaches to identifying individuals at higher risk of developing autoimmune disease, opening the door to earlier detection and more proactive care. This study has also produced a molecular toolkit that can now be applied to other complex diseases, including cardiovascular disease and Parkinson’s Disease.
This project is supported by Hearts and Minds Investments, as nominated by Core Fund Manager, Munro Partners. For further information and updates, visit WEHI.
