title: Antigen-specific immunotherapy for autoimmune diseases.
abstract: The status of autoimmune disease therapies is not satisfactory. Antigen-specific immunotherapy has potential as a future therapy that could deliver maximal efficacy with minimal adverse effects. Several trials of antigen-specific immunotherapy have been performed, but so far no clear directions have been established. With regard to antigen-specificity in the immune system, T cells are essential components. However, at present, we do not have a sufficient range of strategies for manipulating antigen-specific T cells. In this review, the authors propose that T cell receptor gene transfer could be used for antigen-specific immunotherapy. In the proposed technique, important disease-related and, thus, antigen-specific T cells in patients would first be identified, and then a pair of cDNAs encoding alpha and beta T cell receptors would be isolated from these single T cells. These genes would then be transferred into self lymphocytes. These engineered antigen-specific cells can also be manipulated to express appropriate functional genes that could then be applied to specific immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: University of Tokyo, Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Graduate School of Medicine, 7-3-1, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113, Japan. yamamoto-tky@umin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Keishi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujio
mesh_terms: D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell