Boosting controlled autoimmunity: a new therapeutic target for CNS disorders

Abstract

In most tissues, the immune system plays an essential role in protection, repair and healing. Although immunologically privileged, the CNS remains subject to a highly regulated form of immunosurveillance that is of increasing interest. There is evolving evidence that repair mechanisms within the CNS may be enhanced by exploiting an innate process of protective immunity. Understanding the regulation of protective autoimmunity within the CNS is likely to lead to novel therapeutic approaches to neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords::

• beneficial autoimmunity
• CNS injury
• neuroprotection
• protective autoimmunity

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to Stanley Appel, Methodist Neurological Institute (Texas Medical Centre, TX, USA) for extensive advice and critical review of the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.