Regulatoire T-celtherapie: Wat is de stand van zaken?

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) have the ability to inhibit immune responses, these cells hold the promise of actively halting ongoing autoimmunity and may restore self tolerance in patients with autoimmune diseases such as lupus erythematosus. They specifically express Foxp3, which encodes a transcription factor, as a key control gene in their development and function. It has been shown, in both animal models and humans, that mutations in the Foxp3 gene results in autoimmune disease. In animal models, treatment with Tregs resulted in suppression of various autoimmune diseases succesfully. Recently, new methods for expanding polyclonal Treg cells have emerged. It is tempting to hypothesize that when these cells can be expanded ex vivo, a new potent cellular immunotherapy will be available for the treatment of patients with autoimmune diseases.