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Therefore, when many blood
cells are busy entering a partic-
ular infected region, releasing
many sugar molecules, the cells
produce reduced amounts of the
chemical, calling up reserves.
This represents a newly discov-
ered control mechanism that lim-
its T-cell entry when sufficient
number of these cells are already
at work. Also participating in
these studies were Weizmann In-
stitute scientists Dr. Liora Ca-
halon, Dr. Dalia Gilat, Rami
Hershkovitz and Raanan Mar-
galit, as well as researchers Dr.
Oded Shoseyov and Daniel Siegel
at the Faculty of Agriculture of
the Hebrew University, Rehovot.
According to Professor Cohen
and Dr. Lider, this finding has
great relevance to tissue-dam-
aging autoimmune diseases such
as arthritis, multiple sclerosis,
and thyroiditis. In these condi-
tions, T cells pathologically exit
the bloodstream to attack and in-
flame normal body tissues as if
they were infected by a foreign
organism. Therapeutic adminis-
tration of the disaccharide con-
nective tissue breakdown
products might prove useful for
thwarting the massive assembly
of autoimmune tissue-damaging
T cells characteristic of these dis-
eases. In such an approach, a
natural feedback signal gener-
ated by the immune response it-
self would be used to control a
pathologic inflammatory reac-
tion.
In a previous study carried out
with Drs, Dalia Gilat, Rami Her-
shkovitz, and Liora Cahalon of
the Weizmann Institute and Dr.
Israel Vlodvaysky of the Hadas-
sah-Hebrew University Medical
Center, Dr. Lider identified yet
another possible regulatory
mechanism of T-cell action — one
that increases T-cell recruitnient.
This collaboration showed-that

the connective tissue-breakdown
enzyme heparanase can only op-
erate as an enzyme when acidi-
ty levels are high, conditions
characteristic of inflammation
and tumor growth, a finding pub-
lished in the Journal of Experi-
mental Medicine.
The researchers believe that
normal levels of acidity, which
serve to bind heparanase to the
sugar-containing polymers in the
extracellular supporting matrix
of organs without degrading
these polymers, may serve to en-
able the T cells to migrate and in-
teract with connective tissue once
they have left the bloodstream
and entered an inflamed tissue.
Heparanase is known to pave
the way not only for T cells, but
also for malignant metastases.
"Therefore," Dr. Lider says, "we
may some day be able to inhibit
metastases by adjusting the pH
(a measure of acidity and alka-
linity) in the vicinity of a tumor,
thereby preventing heparanase
from clearing a path for cancer-
ous cells.
Application for a patent deal-
ing with the use of disaccharide
molecules in the control of au-
toimmune disease has been filed
by Yeda Research and Develop-
ment of Weizmann Institute re-
search. Practical implementation
of this discovery is being further
probed at the Institute and at
Portman Pharmaceuticals Inc.
of New Jersey, which received
the commercial license to the
patent and supports Weizmann
Institute research in this area.
Professor Cohen holds the
Mauerberger Chair of Immunol-
ogy and is director of the Robert
Koch-Minerva Center for Re-
search in Autoimmune Disease.
Dr. Lider is the incumbent of the
Weizmann League Career De-
velopment Chair in Children's
Diseases. El

711

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Remove the Moisture

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Plant Lowers
Blood Sugar

R

esearch at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem on
thepopular spicy Yeme-
nite condiment "heelbeh,"
made from the fenugreek plant,
has resulted in the derivation of
a highly beneficial substance for
lowering blood sugar and cho-
lesterol.
Patents for the heelbeh appli-
cations have been obtained by the
Hebrew University's Yissum Re-
search Development Co. The
rights to produce the blood sug-
ar- and cholesterol-lowering ma-
terial has been sold to an
American firm, Odyssey Nu-
triceutical Sciences of Boston.
Heading the Hebrew Univer-
sity researchers is Professor Nis-
sim Garti of the Casali Institute

for Applied Chemistry, in collab-
oration with Professor Zecharia
Madar of the School of Nutri-
tional Sciences at the Faculty of
Agriculture. Other participants
are Dr. Abraham Aserin, coordi-
nator of the research, and doc-
toral students Boaz Sternheim,
Ido Nir and Kobi Meiri. Profes-
sor Garti was among those re-
ceiving Kaye Innovation Awards
this week at the Hebrew Uni-
versity's Board of Governors
meeting for his work on this pro-
ject.
The fenugreek plant is com-
monly found in Indonesia, India
and Pakistan. The plant has a
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