Autoimmunity in 2015

Compared to the clear trend observed in previous years, the number of peer-reviewed articles published during 2015 and retrieved using the "autoimmunity" key word declined by 4 %, while remaining 5 % of immunology articles. On the other hand, a more detailed analysis of the published articles in leading immunology and autoimmunity journals revealed exciting scenarios, with fascinating lines of evidence being supported by convincing data and likely followed by rapid translational or clinical developments. As examples, the study of the microbiome, the development of new serum or other tissue biomarkers, and a more solid understanding of disease pathogenesis and tolerance breakdown mechanisms have been central issues in the past year. Furthermore and similar to the oncology field, progress in the understanding of single autoimmune condition is becoming most specific with psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis being ideal paradigms with treatment options diverging after decades of common therapies, as illustrated by IL17-targeting approaches. The ultimate result of these advances is towards personalized medicine with an ideal approach being tailored on a single patient, based on a finely tuned definition of the immunogenetics, epigenetics, microbiome, and biomarkers. Finally, experimental reports suggest that cancer-associated immune mechanisms or the role of T and B cell subpopulations should be better understood in autoimmune diseases. While we hailed the 2014 literature in the autoimmunity world as part of an annus mirabilis, we should not be mistaken in the strong stimulus of research in autoimmunity represented by the 2015 articles that will be summarized in this article.