Science Translational Medicine | May 26, 2021

Karnell JL, Wu Y, Mittereder N, Smith MA, Gunsior M, Yan L, Casey KA, Henault J, Riggs JM, Nicholson SM, Sanjuan MA, Vousden KA, Werth VP, Drappa J, Illei GG, Rees WA and Ratchford JN

Science translational medicine. 2021;13

DOi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abf8442

Abstract

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are immune cells that secrete large amounts of proinflammatory molecules, an essential function that is known to promote clearance of viral infections. However, persistent activation of pDCs is associated with autoimmune diseases, including cutaneous lupus. In this study, Karnell et al. developed and tested a monoclonal antibody to target pDCs, finding that the antibody, VIB7734, depleted pDCs both in nonhuman primates and in patients with autoimmune disease. VIB7734 treatment reduced symptom severity in individuals with cutaneous lupus, suggesting that depleting pDCs is a feasible and effective strategy for treating patients with autoimmunity.