El IMMO. 9 Cal -S2 q11 MAKE bob 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 9mtcr 0 Finding us is as easy as 1,2,345,6,7,8,9, 10. With 10 facilities near you, you're never more we offer nearly 150 physicians in more than than 15 minutes from Henry Ford care 35 specialties — all under one roof. — anytime of the day or night. Should you need hospital care, ask With our expansion at Henry Ford :;!...:.--x„,.,..... your doctor about admission to nearby Lia.,q.,•:. i. Medical Center-West Bloomfield, • .-''': .,,,.:;' St. Joseph's Hospital-Oakland, Huron , , we can do even more for you. In, 41.,.„01.. • :.:0 Valley Hospital or Henry Ford Hospital. addition to internal medicine, Find out just how much more HAP and most major health care OB/GYN, pediatrics, dermatology, plans are welcome. MP members are accommodating we are. Stop by also welcomed at over 60 hospitals eye care, orthopedics and, of and see us. For a Henry Ford and medical centers Throughout course, 24-hour emergency care, Southeast Michigan. physician, call 1-800-653-6568. .,•::::-..,, HENRY FORD MEDICAL CENTER 1VE., , Bloomfield The Name You Can Trust For Complete Health Care. 6777 W. Maple Road, West Bloomfield. MI 48322 1 Henry Ford Medical Center-West Bloomfield, 6777 W. Maple Road 2 West Bloomfield-Maplegrove, 6773 W. Maple Road 3 Waterford, 5800 Highland Road (M-59) 4 Royal Oak. 525 S. Woodward Avenue 5 Southfield, 30603 Southfield Road 6 Orchard Lake, 28270 Orchard Lake Road 7 Novi, -30000 W Eight Mile Road" 8 Southfield, 22777 W. Eleven Mile Road' 9 St. Joseph's Mercy I lospital-Oakland, 900 Woodward Avenue II 0 I luron Valley Hospital. 1601 E. Commerce Road (* Now open to Henry Ford patients) Remove the Moisture from your hearing aid leb 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 pouch-shaped fruit which con- tains the seeds from which the BLOOD SUGAR page 60 I with Super Dri-Aid "II,4."'"117 7,4741.mr, 810-424-8450 CRUZ HEARING AID SERVICE We hear you! Advertising in the Jewish News gets results. Place your ad today! Call (810) 354-6060 0) CT) 1-- 59