Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
Skip to main content
Home

Main navigation

  • Foundations of Science

    • Understanding Conditions
      • Autoimmune Diseases
      • Cancer
      • Cardiovascular & Metabolism
      • Rare Diseases
      • Infectious Diseases

    • Biology Basics
      • Genetics
      • Immune System

    • Science in the Everyday
  • Advancing Medical Research

    • Innovations
      • Drug Discovery
      • Clinical Trials
      • Our Scientists
      • Technology

    • Focus Areas
      • Covid-19
      • Immunology
      • Oncology
      • Vaccines
      • Cardiovascular & Metabolism
  • podcasts

Header top

  • About

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Rss feed

Main navigation

  • Foundations of Science

    • Understanding Conditions
      • Autoimmune Diseases
      • Cancer
      • Cardiovascular & Metabolism
      • Rare Diseases
      • Infectious Diseases

    • Biology Basics
      • Genetics
      • Immune System

    • Science in the Everyday
  • Advancing Medical Research

    • Innovations
      • Drug Discovery
      • Clinical Trials
      • Our Scientists
      • Technology

    • Focus Areas
      • Covid-19
      • Immunology
      • Oncology
      • Vaccines
      • Cardiovascular & Metabolism
  • podcasts
Advancing Medical Research

Cytokines of Interest: Understanding Their Paths to Disease

BY BREAKTHROUGHS STAFFJan 17, 2019

Cytokines of Interest: Understanding Their Paths to Disease

Cytokines of Interest: Understanding Their Paths to Disease

In the diverse universe of cytokines, signaling proteins secreted by our cells that affect nearly every biological process in the body, there is a specific subset that scientists pay extra attention to for their role in autoimmune diseases, cancer, and other conditions. 

What sets apart these "cytokines of interest" — 57 in total — from others is that they’re dependent on a pair of enzymes called Janus kinases (JAKs) to transmit their messages to a cell.  And in recent years, scientists have been uncovering how these cytokines and their corresponding JAKs drive key cellular processes, such as inflammation, immune cell function, and cell growth/differentiation, that lead to diseases. By targeting specific pairs of JAKs with medicines, scientists are finding novel ways to treat autoimmune disorders and certain cancers.  

Read on to learn more about how scientists are unraveling the intimate cytokine-JAK relationship to unlock novel treatments. 

 

Tags
Autoimmune diseases
Drug Discovery
Focus Areas
Immunology
Understanding Conditions
Read More
Blood Brain Barrier_Header.jpg
Seizing upon a ‘Special Sauce’ of Drug Development to Fight Cancer in the Brain
ViralMutations_Header.png
How Do Viruses Mutate and What it Means for a Vaccine?
1_v3_2000px.png
A Life-Saving Education: The Body’s Response to a Vaccine
Understanding Long-Haul COVID-19
Understanding Long-Haul COVID-19
Show
Hide

Get the Latest Updates

pfizer logo

Footer menu

  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact Us

Social

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Rss feed

Copyright © 2002-2020 Pfizer Inc. All rights reserved. This information-including product information-is intended only for residents of the United States. The products discussed herein may have different labeling in different countries.