Researchers at UNM found new genes in certain marsupial mammals such as, a duck billed platypuses. The researchers said the new genes may lead to new treatments and diagnostic tools for human diseases.

The T-cell is a type of white blood cell that protects humans from invading pathogens using its receptors. Scientists thought only two kinds of T-cell receptors existed until UNM researchers found a new receptor while studying the immune systems of certain marsupial mammals, biology professor Robert Miller said.

“We can find genes in there that are missing from us that suggest there is a whole set of new T-cells,” he said. “T-cells perform a variety of functions, some are killer cells, helper cells, some are found in circulation and the skin; there are many subtypes.”

A report on the discovery was pub­lished this month in the Jour­nal of Immunol­ogy. In their ongoing research, scientists seek to discover why humans don’t have the T-cell receptors found in marsupial mammals.

“Is there another cell doing the same job in us, so we don’t need them?” Miller said. “We won’t be able to figure that out until we know what these cells do in these other animals.”

Miller said researchers have discovered antibodies in other animals, such as camels, that have proven useful in treating human illnesses.

“In terms of practical applications, it could be a wide variety of things,” he said. “We think these T-cells recognize threats in a very different way than ours do. We can use them from a diagnostic or therapeutic standpoint. There is the potential for developing treatments from them.”