Interferons at age 50: past, current and future impact on biomedicine.
The family of interferon (IFN) proteins has now more than reached the potential envisioned by early discovering virologists: IFNs are not only antivirals with a spectrum of clinical effectiveness against both RNA and DNA viruses, but are also the prototypic biological response modifiers for oncology, and show effectiveness in suppressing manifestations of multiple sclerosis. Studies of IFNs have resulted in fundamental insights into cellular signalling mechanisms, gene transcription and innate and acquired immunity. Further elucidation of the multitude of IFN-induced genes, as well as drug development strategies targeting IFN production via the activation of the Toll-like receptors (TLRs), will almost certainly lead to newer and more efficacious therapeutics. Our goal is to offer a molecular and clinical perspective that will enable IFNs or their TLR agonist inducers to reach their full clinical potential.
Taussig Cancer Center, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Mellen Center for Multiple Sclerosis, and Lerner Research Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA. bordene@ccf.org
Ernest C
EC
Borden
Ganes C
GC
Sen
Gilles
G
Uze
Robert H
RH
Silverman
Richard M
RM
Ransohoff
Graham R
GR
Foster
George R
GR
Stark
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D035843:Biomedical Research; D006801:Humans; D007372:Interferons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D007372:Interferons