Table 2

Newer Therapies in Autoimmune Diseases

Therapy Description

Anti-TNFα Blocks the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα

Epitope-specific Creates tolerance to self-antigens by oral/mucosal exposure

Immunotherapy to cross-reactive microbial peptides

CTLA-4 Inhibits activated T cells by blocking the costimulatory molecule B7 on antigen presenting cells