[New therapeutic approaches to autoimmune diseases]

Over the past decade, new biological therapies have been developed to treat systemic autoimmune diseases. These new treatments, which target various steps of the immune response, include: B lymphocyte (BL) inhibitors, such as anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies, BlyS antagonists, and tolerogens that inhibit specific BLs that produce pathogenic antibodies; inhibitors of costimulation between antigen-presenting cells and T lymphocytes (TL), such as monoclonal antibodies against CD40 ligand and CTLA4-Ig (abatecept); TL antagonists, which can inhibit proliferation of autoreactive T cells; cytokine antagonists; chemokine and adhesin antagonists, which inhibit trafficking of immunocompetent cells to target organs. These new approaches are based on a deeper understanding of the autoimmune response.