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. 2007 Oct 1;204(10):2249-52.
doi: 10.1084/jem.20071737. Epub 2007 Sep 24.

If the treatment works, do we need to know why?: the promise of immunotherapy for experimental medicine

Michael R Ehrenstein  1 , Claudia Mauri
Affiliations

If the treatment works, do we need to know why?: the promise of immunotherapy for experimental medicine

Michael R Ehrenstein et al. J Exp Med. .

Abstract

There has been much fanfare, and rightly so, heralding a revolution in the treatment of autoimmune disease using biologic agents-antibodies or other molecules that specifically target known mediators of disease. But not all patients respond to even the most successful biologic agent, which may provide clues about alternate disease mechanisms. Studies aimed at understanding the mechanism of action of biologic agents will yield significant benefits for experimental medicine.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Biologic therapy as a catalyst for experimental medicine and therapeutic advance. Targeted manipulation of the immune system in animal models, such as with biologic agents, has led to insights into disease pathogenesis and has contributed to the use of these agents in humans. The use of biologic agents in patients with autoimmune disease may help identify alternate disease mechanisms, establish biomarkers of disease, and reevaluate the pathogenesis of disease. Studies in humans can in turn help refine experimental animal models.
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