The Sex Divide in Immunity: Uncovering the Hidden Patterns The latest research from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and UNSW Sydney has shed new light on why women are more prone to autoimmune diseases like lupus.
For decades, scientists have known that women's immune systems are stronger than men's but also more vulnerable to "friendly fire" – the body's misguided attack on its own tissues.
The discovery of over 1,000 genetic switches that behave differently in male and female immune cells has provided a biological explanation for this paradox.