Autoimmune Diseases

Clinical Trials

NIAID, in partnership with the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International (JDRF) co-sponsors the Immune Tolerance Network (ITN). This international consortium of more than 80 scientists and physicians is dedicated to the discovery and evaluation of methods that can induce stable, long-term immune tolerance in patients with many immune-mediated disorders, including autoimmune disorders. Tolerance strategies attempt to reprogram immune cells so that they no longer attack the patient’s own tissues, but still effectively guard the body against infection. Because tolerance-inducing therapies would eliminate the need for lifelong immunosuppressive drug regimens—which themselves have serious side effects—they have the potential to revolutionize the management of many autoimmune diseases. The network has established several state-of-the-art core facilities and has supported 18 approved clinical protocols, as well as several additional studies of the immune mechanisms involved in tolerance. More information on ITN is available at www.immunetolerance.org.

Another group, the Stem Cell Transplantation for Autoimmune Diseases Consortium, is developing clinical trials to assess the efficacy of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, SLE, and scleroderma. These complex trials are expected to open in 2006. The consortium will also conduct studies of the underlying immune mechanisms of these diseases as the trials progress.