Autoimmune mechanisms in children with systemic lupus erythematosus

Although the pathogenesis of SLE remains poorly under-stood, there is consensus that it involves a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors. New technologies applied to genomic and gene expression studies have revealed novel gene mutations and cytokine alterations in this disease. Recently, advances in monoclonal antibodies and recombinant DNA technology have resulted in the development of new drugs to arrest disease progres-sion and restore physiologic immune responses without major side effects. Clinical trials to test several of these novel therapies are currently underway. © 2005, Current Science Inc.