Two Harvard researchers have discovered how an ingredient found in the Blue Hydrangea root could block “rogue T-cells” — a condition that occurs in lupus, Type 1 diabetes, MS, and other diseases. The Blue Hydrangea root has been used in Chinese medicine for millenniums. Harvard scientists Dr. Malcolm Whitman and Dr. Tracy Keller (and a long list of co-author researchers) have been studying the Blue Hydrangea root for more than a decade. Their research “explains the molecular mechanism of a promising family of therapeutics and highlights the AAR pathway as an important drug target for promoting inflammatory resolution,” according to an abstract in Nature.
Harvard and its researchers stand to benefit financially, too, as they unlock the secrets to why the root has worked in the past. They’ve established a partnership with Allied-Bristol Life Sciences, a company that works to turn university research into commercially viable drug treatments.
