Autoimmunity: break-through in the diagnosis and treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases

The study of fundamental mechanisms of autoimmunity has been instrumental to clinical progress in the diagnosis and treatment of a range of immune-mediated inflammatory disorders. Dutch immunology has made major contributions to these developments, ranging from fundamental studies on immune cells, antibodies and cytokines to translational and clinical studies with targeted therapies in patients. In this paper we illustrate the progress made in our understanding of autoimmunity and the translational implications for human disease management by focusing on three areas: the autoantibody response in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), T-B cell interactions in Sjögren's syndrome (SS), and cytokine targeting in spondylarthritis (SpA).