Toll-like receptors are the guard dogs of the immune system, sniffing out bacteria and viruses then activating the body's immune system for an attack on these invaders.
Because of their ability to quickly activate the body's defenses, toll-like receptors have recently become a darling of drug makers. One of the proteins in this class, toll-like receptor 9 or TLR9, can pick up a very specific scent -- a snippet of DNA common in bacteria and viruses.
The idea for drug makers is to create DNA-based drugs containing these snippets, called CpG DNA. The drugs would get the guard dogs howling, which, in turn, would trip a fast immune response, causing the body to attack cancerous tumors or, if used as an ingredient in vaccines, bolster the assault on infectious diseases such as hepatitis B and C. CpG DNA could even be used to treat immune system disorders such as asthma and allergies.read more
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