Recent advances and current state of immunotherapy in systemic lupus erythematosus

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune syndrome that poses significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment. Dysregulated innate and adaptive immune systems are involved in its pathogenesis. A plethora of novel immunotherapies have been developed for the treatment of SLE but many have failed early clinical trials.

Areas covered: This review summarizes immunotherapies under recent development with relevance to the targeted cellular or soluble factors involved in the pathogenesis of SLE.

Expert opinion: SLE is a complicated disease with much heterogeneity. Novel immunotherapies with different mechanisms of action that are currently under development include biologic agents targeting co-stimulatory molecules, cytokines or their receptors and signaling molecules and B cells, cell-based therapy and peptide therapy. Together with good scientific rationale and advanced biological engineering techniques, optimization of clinical trial design, patient selection and disease outcome measures are essential to demonstrate the clinical efficacy and safety of these agents.

KEYWORDS:

• Clinical trial
• immunotherapy
• lupus nephritis
• systemic lupus erythematosus

Article highlights

• Dysregulated innate and adaptive immune responses are involved in the pathogenesis of SLE.

• Novel immunotherapies under development target cellular and soluble factors involved in disease pathogenesis.

• These include biologic agents targeting co-stimulatory molecules, cytokines or their receptors and signaling molecules and B cells, cell-based therapy and peptide therapy.

This box summarizes the key points contained in the article.

Declaration of interest

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.