REVIEW - B cell depletion therapy in autoimmune diseases [Rituxan (rituximab)]

[Guest guest]

Front Biosci. 2007 Jan 1;12:2546-67.

B cell depletion therapy in autoimmune diseases.

Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology,

University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New

York 14642, USA. Ignacio_Sanz@...

Our understanding of the multiple physiological and pathological functions

of B-cells continues to expand at a fascinating rate. A critical part of

this expanding knowledge is the realization that B-cells can be responsible,

at least in part, for diseases in which they had not been previously

suspected and that their pathogenic influence can be mediated by multiple

mechanisms. In turn, the availability of effective agents capable of

inducing profound and long-lasting B-cell depletion and the safety and

efficacy of Rituximab in non-Hodgkin lymphoma has prompted investigators to

use this therapeutic approach in a large number of autoimmune diseases. Thus

far, the results have been very promising, and in some cases nothing short

of spectacular. In this review, we shall discuss the roles of B-cells in

health and disease and the available evidence regarding the efficacy of

B-cell depletion in human autoimmunity. Finally, we will discuss some of the

many challenges and opportunities that the medical and scientific community

should address in the foreseeable future.

PMID: 17127262

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed & cmd=Retrieve & dopt=Abstra\

ctPlus & list_uids=17127262

Not an MD

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Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org