Novel treatment strategies for antibody-mediated diseases: targeting long-lived plasma cells

摘要

Autoantibodies are believed to contribute to thernpathogenesis of multiple immune-mediated diseases.rnHowever, there are only a few diseases inrnwhich a critical role of antibodies for the pathogenesisrnhas been convincingly demonstrated. Arngood correlation of autoantibody titers with therndisease activity, and the detection of such antibodiesrnin most patients with a certain disease or diseasernmanifestation, as well as the detection ofrnautoantibodies bound to damaged organ structures,rnmay provide an initial indication of a contributionrnof antibodies to the pathogenesis.rnFurther evidence might come from in vitro experimentsrnwith exposure of isolated antibodies to primaryrncells or cell lines. Efficacy of immunernadsorption, that is, elimination of immunoglobulinsrnby extracorporal adsorption to an affinityrnmatrix, such as immobilized recombinantrnprotein A, further substantiates the role of autoantibodiesrnin a disease entity [1,2]. The inductionrnof disease by the transfer of autoantibodies provesrntheir importance for the pathogenesis [2,3].rnAutoantibodies may cause disease by a varietyrnof mechanisms, the most important being: