Why Don't We Have a Vaccine Against Autoimmune Diseases? - A Review.

Abstract

This review examines some of the reasons why we don't have a vaccine against autoimmune diseases and highlights the progress that has been made. Many autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis (MS) and type 1 diabetes (T1D), are driven by autoimmune T cell responses. Unlike vaccines for most infectious diseases, which elicit antibody responses, are intended for immuno-naive individuals and considered preventative, a vaccine for an autoimmune disease must be therapeutic and resolve or control the on-going autoimmune response and condition in the diseased host. Despite these differences, many of the same considerations for infectious disease vaccines must also be addressed to develop a therapeutic vaccine for autoimmune diseases. The disease initiator/triggers, antigens and autoantigens, nature of the immunopathogenic and protective/therapeutic immune response will be compared for infectious and autoimmune diseases as will approaches for developing vaccines including formulations, animal models and indicators of success. The rationale for a therapeutic vaccine for RA will be discussed in greater detail with a relatively limited discussion of T1D, MS and other autoimmune diseases.

• Authors: Ken S Rosenthal, Roy Carambula, Daniel H Zimmerman
• Journal: Journal of clinical & cellular immunology (J Clin Cell Immunol) Vol. 10 Issue 1 ( 2019) ISSN: 2155-9899 [Print] United States
• PMID: 31328022 (Publication Type: Journal Article)