A landmark in the understanding of thyroid disease

Authors of a research letter in this week's issue of THE LANCET report the discovery of the first human monoclonal thyroid stimulating autoantibody which could be an important step forward in understanding the underlying cause of a common thyroid disease.

In Graves' disease (a disorder characterised by the production of autoantibodies), hyperthyroidism (excessive production of the hormone thyroxine) is caused by over-activation of the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) receptor by the body's own immune system; around one in 100 people are thought to be affected.

Jane Sanders and colleagues from FIRS Laboratories, Cardiff, UK, detail the identification of a monoclonal autoantibody involved in the hyperthyroidism of a 19 year-old man with Graves' disease. The investigators comment that their results and other studies on the autoantibody can be expected to lead to development of new agents for controlling the action of the autoantibodies and the hyperthyroidism of Graves' disease.

An accompanying Commentary (p 92) by Colin Dayan from the University of Bristol, UK, outlines a history of research into thyroid disease stretching back to the late 1950s. He comments that this finding might have powerful implications for the diagnosis and treatment of Graves' disease and possibly other hormonal disorders associated with infertility.

Contact: Dr. Bernard Rees Smith, FIRS Laboratories, RSR ltd, Parc Ty Glas, Llanishen, Cardiff CF14 5DU, UK; T) +44-0-292-076-5550; F) +44-0-29-2076-4445; E) firs.rsrltd@virgin.net.

Dr. Colin M Dayan, University Research Centre for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol BS2 8HW, UK; T) +44-0-117-928-3553;
F) 0-117-928-2080; E) Colin.dayan@bris.ac.uk.

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