Biological immunomodulators

Excerpt

Putting together an issue on biological therapies in systemic autoimmune diseases these days is a great pleasure. New indications for existing biologics and the development of agents against ever more targets not only hold promise for increased efficacy in treatment but also for exciting insights into disease mechanisms. In this issue, the primary focus is on therapeutic targets for biologics in systemic autoimmune diseases from the field of rheumatology. Since the extension of the application of intervention with biologics has reached hereditary immunological disorders, the possible application of biologics in these disorders and the similarity of the clinical manifestations to systemic autoimmune disease justify an informed look at this field. The clinical aspects of graft rejection in transplantation, which from their first description have been likened to manifestations of autoimmune disease, are a further field in which the use of biologics has been initiated with promising outlook. Finally, recent concepts regarding inflammatory disturbances of conception and pregnancy merit attention as a potential future area for therapeutic intervention with biologics. …