Understanding B Cell Biology

Abstract

The use of B-cell-depleting agents in clinical practice, overwhelmingly restricted to rituximab, is principally centered on patients who do not respond or are intolerant to standard therapy and those with life-threatening presentations. Forthcoming studies of B-cell-directed strategies, particularly investigations of off-label rituximab use and post-marketing studies of belimumab, will provide new insights into the utility of these treatments in the routine management of patients with autoimmune diseases. Careful evaluations of the risk/benefit profiles of these biologic agents will be essential as their full role in the treatment becomes established. The main objective of Drugs targeting B-cells in autoimmune diseases is to offer the reader the latest opinions of the leading international clinical experts on the practical use of biological agents directed against B cells in autoimmune disorders, both systemic and organ specific. Clinical guidelines for the correct use of these agents can only made by