As the number of people suffering from autoimmune and inflammatory diseases continues to grow, scientists are racing to uncover therapeutic treatments by studying the signaling pathways that drive the disorders. The recent publication of several, sometimes competing, studies describing the complex roles of cytokines and lymphocytes has helped deepen the understanding of the molecular mechanics of the immune system, even leading to a Phase I clinical trial.
The role of cytokine Interleukin-17 (IL-17) as the source of cellular communication in autoimmune and inflammatory pathogenesis has been widely accepted for nearly a decade. And the discovery of its manufacturer, T helper cell 17 (or Th17), 5 years ago as an entirely new lineage of lymphocytes helped identify the first step in how some immune cells can switch from their protective roles to become the drivers of disease. But exactly what IL-17 communicates to cause autoimmune response, what other cytokines are involved ...
