Expert opinion on biological therapy
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Expert Opin Biol Ther · Jan 2015
The anti-IL-4 receptor alpha antibody dupilumab: facing a new era in treating atopic dermatitis.
Atopic dermatitis is the most common chronic inflammatory skin disease with high prevalence rates in adults and even higher among children. For the numerous patients suffering from moderate to severe disease, standard systemic treatment regimens such as cyclosporine A, methotrexate or azathioprine are not suited for long-term treatment due to their unfavorable safety profile. A promising alternative would be the newly developed IL-4 receptor alpha antibody dupilumab which has been investigated in several clinical trials during the last years. ⋯ First clinical data of treating AD with dupilumab provided strong evidence for a highly significant efficacy and safety. In the case, future phase III studies will confirm these findings, dupilumab has the potential to become a new first line standard treatment for patients with severe AD.
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Expert Opin Biol Ther · Dec 2014
ReviewThe role of integrin antagonists in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.
Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease are chronic inflammatory diseases of the bowel associated with complex inflammatory cascades within the mucosal lining of the gut. ⋯ The anti-adhesion molecules are a welcome addition to the armamentarium of medical therapies for inflammatory bowel disease.
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Expert Opin Biol Ther · Nov 2014
ReviewAn update on RNA interference-mediated gene silencing in cancer therapy.
Based on our previous review, this article presents the new progress in RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene silencing in cancer therapy, and reviews the hurdles and how they might be overcome. ⋯ Although the field of RNAi-based cancer therapy is still an emerging one, we have yet to get solutions for overcoming all obstacles associated with its clinical development. The current rapid advances in development of new targeted delivery strategies and noninvasive imaging methods will be big steps to explore RNAi as a new and potent clinical modality in humans.
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Expert Opin Biol Ther · Oct 2014
ReviewAmyloid-directed monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: the point of no return?
Two humanized monoclonal antibodies, bapineuzumab and solanezumab, directed against the N terminus and mid-region of β-amyloid (Aβ), respectively, were recently tested in large, long-term Phase III trials in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD). ⋯ Solanezumab showed some beneficial cognitive effects in mildly affected AD patients and this subgroup of AD patients is currently being tested in another Phase III trial to this subgroup of AD patients to confirm previous encouraging observations. Two other monoclonal antibodies, gantenerumab, which preferentially binds to fibrillar Aβ, and crenezumab, which preferentially binds to soluble, oligomeric and fibrillar Aβ deposits, are being tested in secondary prevention trials in presymptomatic subjects with autosomal dominant AD mutations. Solanezumab is also being tested in a prevention study in asymptomatic older subjects, who have positive positron emission tomography scans for brain amyloid deposits. These ongoing secondary prevention trials will tell us if Aβ really plays a crucial role in the pathophysiology of AD.
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Decrements in ventricular function due to the permanent loss of contractile tissue remain problematic in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy. For this reason, cell replacement therapy has received much popularity in recent years. ⋯ However, ischemic heart disease clinical trials based on bone marrow-derived stem cell (BMC) infusion have yielded discrepant results and marginal therapeutic benefits, making this modality's future uncertain. Further investigation of molecular and cellular characteristics critical for therapeutic efficacy and defining the mechanism(s) of BMC-mediated cardiac repair will be paramount for harnessing their full therapeutic potential.