title: Toxicity as a result of immunostimulation by biologics.
abstract: The immune system has evolved highly effective mechanisms of surveillance and defense against foreign pathogens, and is also thought to act in surveillance and suppression of cancer. Thus, a predominant goal of immune system-based therapies is to normalize or enhance the host immune response in the areas of infectious disease and oncology. This review considers general approaches used for therapeutic immunostimulation, alterations in immune response mechanisms that occur with these treatments and the syndromes that commonly arise as a result of these changes. Because nonclinical studies of these therapies are conducted in animal models as the basis for predicting potential human toxicities, this review also considers the value of nonclinical testing to predict human toxicity.
authors.affiliation: ZymoGenetics, Inc., 1201 Eastlake Ave E., Seattle, WA 98102, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Gribble
authors.forename: Pallavar V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Sivakumar
authors.forename: Rafael A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ponce
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001688:Biological Products / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D007114:Immunization / Q000379:methods*; D018448:Models, Immunological
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products