Zurich Study Finds Liver Kupffer Cells Drive the Immune Tolerance Created by Peptide-Coated Red Blood Cells in a Mouse Model of Multiple Sclerosis
University of Zurich researchers reported in Science Advances on October 9, 2026 that red blood cells coupled to the disease-inducing peptide prevented experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, when given beforehand and eased symptoms when given after onset. The effect was specific to the coupled peptide and depended on both cell and peptide dose. Kupffer cells, immune cells in the liver that swallowed the coated red cells, were required for tolerance. The authors describe red cells coupled to a cocktail of multiple sclerosis peptides as a promising approach for patients, but these results are from mice.