title: The therapeutic potential of regulatory T cells for the treatment of autoimmune disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Immune tolerance remains the holy grail of therapeutic immunology in the fields of organ and tissue transplant rejection, autoimmune diseases, and allergy and asthma. We have learned that FoxP3(+)CD4(+) regulatory T cells play a vital role in both the induction and maintenance of self-tolerance.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this opinion piece, we highlight regulatory T cells (Treg) cell biology and novel immune treatments to take advantage of these cells as potent therapeutics. We discuss the potential to utilize Treg and Treg-friendly therapies to replace current general immunosuppressives and induce tolerance as a path towards a drug-free existence without associated toxicities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Finally, we opine on the fact that biomedicine sits on the cusp of a new revolution: the use of human cells as versatile therapeutic engines. We highlight the challenges and opportunities associated with the development of a foundational cellular engineering science that provides a systematic framework for safely and predictably regulating cellular behaviors. Although Treg therapy has become a legitimate clinical treatment, development of the therapy will require a better understanding of the underlying Treg biology, manufacturing advances to promote cost effectiveness and combinations with other drugs to alter the pathogenicity/regulatory balance.
authors.affiliation: University of California San Francisco, Diabetes Center , San Francisco, CA 94143 , USA +1 415 476 4451 ; jeff,bluestone@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Bluestone
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Trotta
authors.forename: Daqi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy / Q000379:methods; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents
keywords: autoimmunity; cell therapy; organ transplantation; peripheral tolerance; regulatory T cells; suppressor cells