The Open Arthritis Journal
2010, 3 : 8-12Published online 2010 January 12. DOI: 10.2174/1876539401003010008
Publisher ID: TOARTHJ-3-8
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Tolerogenic Dendritic Cells in Clinical Practice
Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, NE2 4HH, UK
* Address correspondence to these authors at the Institute of Cellular Medicine, Musculoskeletal Research Group, Cookson Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK; Tel: +44 191 222 8026; Fax: +44 191 222 5455; E-mail: ; catharien.hilkens@ncl.ac.uk
* Address correspondence to these authors at the Institute of Cellular Medicine, Musculoskeletal Research Group, Cookson Building, Framlington Place, Newcastle University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK; Tel: +44 191 222 8026; Fax: +44 191 222 5455; E-mail: ; catharien.hilkens@ncl.ac.uk
ABSTRACT
Dendritic cells (DC) play a critical role in maintaining immune tolerance to self-antigens and have become a promising immunotherapeutic tool for treating autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Tolerogenic DC (tolDC) with stable immunosuppressive function can be generated in the laboratory. These modified tolDC induce antigen-specific T cell tolerance in vitro and in vivo, and can prevent or reduce pathogenic autoimmune responses in experimental animal models of RA. The current challenge is to translate these findings and to develop tolDC for clinical application. In this review we discuss various key considerations for designing tolDC therapy for RA.