December 2014

Combined inhibition of TNFα and IL-17 as therapeutic opportunity for treatment in rheumatoid arthritis: Development and characterization of a novel bispecific antibody

Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015;67(1):51–62

Single cytokine inhibition, e.g. TNFα or IL-6, has fundamentally improved the therapeutic armamentarium for the treatment of RA; yet clinically meaningful responses are achieved in only about half of RA patients treated. In addition, it is now well established that the pathogenesis of RA involves multiple mechanisms of cell activation and cell recruitment. These two factors have led to the emergence of the concept of dual specificity, sparking interest in the biologic arena, with a focus o...

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June 2013

Cytokines in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis

Nature Reviews Immunology 2007; 7:429-42

The imbalance between the activity of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines favouring induction of autoimmunity, chronic inflammation and joint damage is well known, but how cytokines are organised within a hierarchical regulatory network and which cytokines are the best targets for clinical intervention is uncertain. This review therefore examines the effector function of cytokines in the immunological processes central to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The paper aims to try and ...

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The pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis

The New England Journal of Medicine 2011; 365:2205-19

This review article describes the pathogenic processes involved in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and discusses the genetic factors and environmental triggers implicated in the disease. Data from twin studies are discussed along with candidate genes with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that have been linked to RA. It is now thought a multistep progression to the development of RA occurs via environmental factors, epigenetic modification of susceptible genes that leads to altered post-transcrip...

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