title: Novel therapies for rheumatoid arthritis.
abstract: Recent years have witnessed significant advancements in the therapeutic approach to rheumatoid arthritis. The introduction of biologic agents, in particular inhibitors of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), has ushered a new era in which the goal of therapy has become achieving very low levels of disease activity. Success achieved with the TNF inhibitors has reinvigorated research into targeting other componenets of the dysregulated immune system in RA. A number of approaches, targeting various cytokines, other inflammatory mediators, and populations of immunocompetent cells, seem promising.
authors.affiliation: Center for Innovative Therapy, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0943, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kavanaugh