title: Biological Drugs in Guillain-Barré Syndrome: An Update.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) is currently considered the most common global cause of acute flaccid paralysis. Currently, standard therapy for Guillain-Barré Syndrome includes intravenous immunoglobulin or plasma exchange. Despite medical advances regarding these treatments, many treated patients do not reach full recovery. Therefore several biological agents have attracted the attentions from researchers during the last decades, and various studies have investigated their role in Guillain-Barré Syndrome.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study aims to address emerging biological approaches to GBS while considering their efficiency and safety in treating the disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  An extensive electronic literature search was conducted by two researchers from April 2016 to July 2016. Original articles, clinical trials, systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis) and case reports were selected. Titles and abstracts of papers were screened by reviewers to determine whether they met the eligibility criteria, and full texts of the selected articles were retrieved.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Herein authors focused on the literature data concerning emerging biological therapeutic agents, namely anti-C5 monoclonal antibody (Eculizumab), anti-C1q monoclonal antibody, anti-T cell monoclonal antibody, anti-CD2 monoclonal antibody, anti L-selectin monoclonal antibody, anti- CD20 monoclonal antibody (Rituximab), anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody (Alemtuzumab) and cytokine targets. By far, none of these agents have been approved for the treatment of GBS by FDA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Literature findings represented in current review herald promising results for using these biological targets. Current review represents a summary of what is already in regards and what progress is required to improve the immunotherapeutic approach of treating GBS via future studies.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran. Iran.
authors.forename: Nazgol
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Motamed-Gorji
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. United States.
authors.forename: Nassim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Matin
authors.affiliation: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. United States.
authors.forename: Omidreza
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tabatabaie
authors.affiliation: General Paediatrics Operative Unit, Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele University Hospital, University of Catania, Catania. Italy.
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pavone
authors.affiliation: General Paediatrics Operative Unit, Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele University Hospital, University of Catania, Catania. Italy.
authors.forename: Catia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.affiliation: General Paediatrics Operative Unit, Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele University Hospital, University of Catania, Catania. Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Falsaperla
authors.affiliation: General Paediatrics Operative Unit, Policlinico-Vittorio Emanuele University Hospital, University of Catania, Catania. Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vitaliti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products
keywords: Guillain-barré syndrome; biological; drug; immunotherapy; monoclonal antibody.; therapy; treatment