Therapeutic peptide vaccines for treatment of autoimmune diseases

Abstract

Recent advances in immunology have led to exciting new possibilities in medicine. We now understand how to design vaccine capable of resetting the balance between immune effector and regulatory cells in people suffering from autoimmune and allergic diseases. These approaches are effective while avoiding the side effects associated with non-specific immune suppression.

Fig. 1

T lymphocytes differentiate in the thymus where the majority of self-reactive cells are deleted. Those cells that escape deletion remain quiescent in peripheral lymphoid organs by various processes including sequestration, privileged sites, homeostasis and immune regulation.

Fig. 2

It is now clear that the immune system is a delicate balance between the pathogenic factor/helper T-cells and natural/induced Treg cells.