Resetting the clock

摘要

The rationale for autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) in systemic autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is based on 2 major assumptions. The first is that the immu-noablative conditioning regimen will lead to deletion of autoreactive cells of the adaptive immune system and, second, that the regenerating immune system will be (more) tolerant to self-antigens; in effect, "resetting the immu-nologic clock" to a pre-autoimmune state.~1#