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Pharmacogenetics is the study of the genetic characteristics that dictate drug response and toxicity. This Viewpoint discusses this rapidly advancing field that might improve the clinician's ability to match a patient with the right drug or drugs for their disease.
Given the central role that B cells have in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, interest in approaches that therapeutically target B cells is considerable. This review provides an update on B-cell-depleting therapies for these diseases, as well as other approaches that target co-stimulatory signals, cytokines and other B-cell surface molecules.
Medical treatment for children with severe systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis is unsatisfactory at present, and affected patients suffer from significant morbidity throughout their lives. Research into the pathogenesis of this disease should allow for the identification of new molecular targets and the development of improved therapies for this serious form of childhood arthritis.
Autoimmune responses are an inherent consequence of the wide repertoires of T-cell and B-cell receptors, which are needed in order for these cells to recognize a broad range of pathogens. This review explains the strategies used by the immune system to prevent and regulate the generation of autoreactive receptors and maintain immunologic tolerance.
Osteoporosis results from decreased osteoblast function, increased osteoclast function and increased adiposity of the bone marrow with age. Regulation of the balance between fat and bone in the bone marrow is complex and involves genetic, hormonal and environmental influences. Here, Clifford Rosen outlines a hypothesis that skeletal fragility has its pathogenic roots in pleuripotent marrow stromal cells and their fate as either fat or bone cells.