Immunomodulating Drugs Based on Poxviral Proteins

An unusually high production of cytokines or chemokines as well as increased complement activation can drive development of chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases. State-of-the-art biological therapies, recombinant receptors, or specific antibodies that target immune and inflammatory mediators are now effectively used. However, these newer drugs are not equally effective for all patients and can cause adverse effects, making the search for new immunomodulatory proteins of great importance. The poxviruses--first and foremost, the variola (smallpox) virus, which is highly pathogenic in man--code for numerous highly evolved and extraordinarily effective immunomodulatory proteins that bind cytokines, chemokines, and proteins of the complement system. The discovery of and investigation into immune modulators from the variola virus has great potential for guiding new and effective drugs for autoimmune diseases.