{"id":12003,"date":"2026-08-21T12:01:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:01:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=12003"},"modified":"2026-08-21T12:01:40","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T12:01:40","slug":"scientists-uncover-differences-between-womens-mens-immune-systems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=12003","title":{"rendered":"Scientists uncover differences between women’s, men’s immune systems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The human body has an immune system that acts as a defense shield, always on guard against invaders of the virus or bacterium world, parasitic threats, or even cellular mutations. The reason the defense against different threats isn\u2019t equal for either sex is the new focus of study.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a study led by the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and UNSW Sydney, a long-held biological conundrum has now been answered: why women have superior immune responses but a higher proportion of autoimmune diseases (at least 80%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study found there are now more than a thousand new specific sex \u2018genetic\u2019 switches that modify immune functions very differently for both men and women, with the information published today in The American Journal of Human Genetics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Single-Cell Breakthrough:<\/strong> Beyond Sex Chromosomes It was once believed that immunity \u2018deviations between the sexes\u2019, both men and women, must be largely thanks to the effects of hormones and\/or their chromosomes (X and Y). Prior studies were on more general and combined cellular material from blood samples that did not go \u2018inside the cells\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A single-cell RNA sequencing study analyzed the expression of thousands of genes for over one million individual human immune cells, revealing immune variation between males and females is a much deeper phenomenon than just hormone or chromosome influence: Genetic Control on the Autosomes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than just on the sex chromosomes (X and Y, which everyone has, but men one \u2018X\u2019 and women two), most new \u2018genetic\u2019 switches reside on autosomes (the other non-sex chromosomes that all individuals possess an equal balance of).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gene Expression \u201cVolume Controls\u201d:<\/strong> These genetic switches act like molecular \u2018volume controls\u2019 for genes \u2013 either turning them on\/up, or off\/down, specific to a particular sex, or even a particular type of cell (scientifically calledexpression quantitative trait loci, or eQTLs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An evolutionary trade-off in viral defense and risk of autoimmune disease:<\/strong> As the scientific research into the immune variations in both sexes revealed distinct cellular identities, it\u2019s evident how a healthier immunity in females contrasts to male\u2019s overall lower prevalence of autoimmune diseases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Female Immune Profile: High Alert!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

High B Cells & Tregs
Inflammatory Pathways Primed
Better Viral Defence
More Autoimmune Risk (e.g. Lupus)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Advantages:<\/strong> A fast and robust immune response means you \u2018fight off infections faster and have greater efficacy when vaccinated\u2019\u2026 as your immune system is \u2018primed to kick off the inflammatory process quickly\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* The Trade-Offs:<\/strong> You keep these defences on high alert so you may end up \u2018accidentally target[ing] healthy tissues, leading to autoimmune disease\u2019. For instance \u20189 women have lupus for every1 man who does\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Male Immune Profile: Focused on Normalisation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

High Monocytes (First responders)
Basline Cellular Maintenance Active
Lower Autoimmune Risk
More Infection & Cancer Vulnerability<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Advantages:<\/strong> \u2018Lower levels of chronic inflammatory markers and the risk factors that drive autoimmune disease\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

* Trade-Offs:<\/strong> \u2018We\u2019ve given more latitude for acute responses such as infections like the COVID-19\u2019 and \u2018infections as a cause for non-reproductive cancers\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Future \u2018Precision Medicine\u2019:<\/strong> Now that sex-specific immune profiles are being defined, our health treatments could \u2018tailored not just to an individual\u2019s disease but also their specific sex- and age- and ethnicity-related\u2019 immune, and hence overall biological and genetic make-up as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018In the past<\/strong>, for decades drug trials were mainly run on men \u2013 on white, middle-class, working men\u2019 on the assumption that the cells were fundamentally similar \u2018regardless of whether one was born male or female.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018key and exciting insight\u2019 of this study is the finding of \u2018specific genetic and cell-based factors\u2026 that can inform targeted new therapeutic strategies\u2019 based not only on who has cancer (which most clinical trials are based), but how an immune cell behaves depending on whether the patient is male or female.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What This Means for the Future of Precision Medicine:<\/strong> Historically, clinical trials and medical research relied heavily on male-biased cohorts, assuming baseline cellular mechanics were uniform across sexes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Fathers\u2019 Mental Health During Pregnancy Matters<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These findings emphasize that male and female autoimmune conditions may operate through distinct biological pathways. Tailoring treatments, diagnostic metrics, and drug dosages to reflect an individual\u2019s underlying genetic immune profile marks a crucial step toward true precision medicine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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