Researchers have discovered that a pair of molecules collaborate in the human body to de-activate certain “self-reactive” immune cells that are programmed to attack the body’s own organs.

The absence of two related proteins, called Puma and Bim, leads to self-reactive immune cells accumulating and attacking many different body organs, causing illness.

The team behind this study now intends to collaborate with researchers who have identified human gene defects linked to the development of autoimmune conditions to understand how these diseases develop.