HMN 2026: How a tick could help prevent diseases like MS and cancer

A team from the Monash University Biomedicine Discovery Institute has identified a tick-derived evasin that can bind to two major classes of chemokines, a discovery that is important for the development of therapeutics targeting inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The work is published in the journal Structure.

When the immune system detects a harmful or foreign agent, it triggers an inflammatory response. Small proteins called chemokines direct immune cells to the site of the injury or infection, resulting in the invader being inactivated.

More commonly known as parasites, ticks are able to attach and draw blood from us or our pets without triggering an immune reaction, because they produce proteins called evasins, which attach to these chemokines, preventing them from warning the immune system that it is under attack.

These chemokines can also “turn bad,” overstimulating the immune system, resulting in diseases like rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis (MS), cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.

Until now, scientists had identified only evasins that selectively block chemokines within a single class. The study, by lead authors Professor Martin Stone and Dr. Ram Bhusal, is important because a broad-acting evasin such as they have discovered is a potential therapy for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and cancer.

According to co-first authors Mr. Kunwar and Dr. Devkota, it was previously believed that ticks suppress the immune system by secreting a cocktail of different evasins, each targeting a specific class of chemokines.

“However, in this study, we have identified a naturally occurring evasin that can inhibit both major classes of chemokines,” Mr. Kunwar said. “This is a novel finding and represents a significant advance in the field.”

Dr. Devkota adds, “The discovery opens up new opportunities to develop therapies that target chemokines driving inflammatory diseases such as RA and MS. While treatments are available, there remains a significant need for therapies that more effectively prevent disease progression.”

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