Treatment of autoimmune disease
AssigneeThe General Hospital Corporation
InventorDenise Faustman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present invention features a novel combination therapy useful in the treatment of autoimmune disease that increases or maintains the number of functional cells of a predetermined type in a mammal by killing or inactivating autoimmune cells and re-educating the host immune system.
Claims15
A method of increasing or maintaining the number of functional cells of a predetermined type in a mammal, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a sample of cells of said predetermined type,
- b) treating said cells to modify the presentation of an antigen of said cells that is capable of causing an in vivo autoimmune cell-mediated rejection response,
- c) introducing said treated cells into said mammal, and
- d) prior to, after, or concurrently with step c), treating said mammal to kill or inactivate autoimmune cells of said mammal.
A method of increasing the number of functional cells of a predetermined type in a mammal, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) treating said mammal with an agent that kills or inactivates autoimmune cells of said mammal;
- b) periodically monitoring the cell death rate of said autoimmune cells;
- and
- c) periodically adjusting the dosage of said agent administered to said mammal based on the monitoring of step b).
A method for diagnosing an autoimmune disease or the predisposition to said disease in a mammal, said method comprising the steps of:
- a) providing peripheral cells from a mammal,
- b) treating said cells with a TNF-alpha treatment regimen, and
- c) detecting cell death of said peripheral cells, wherein an increase in cell death, when compared with control cells, is indicative of said mammal having an autoimmune disease or a predisposition to said disease.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.