A newly developed method called ReapTEC allowed the discovery of thouands of active bidirectional enhancers. Further anaylis of GWAS data revelaed that various immune-mediated diseases, like multipkle sclerosis and rheumatoisd arthritis, are related to genetic variations within these enhancers. Credit: RIKEN Researchers led by Yasuhiro Murakawa at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS) and Kyoto University in Japan and IFOM ETS in Italy have discovered several rare types of helper T cells that are associated with immune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and even asthma. Published Read More