ABSTRACT
Colossal progress in the understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in inflammatory, allergic as well as autoimmune diseases, and the recent discoveries in biotechnology have led to the development of several novel immunomodulating and anti-inflammatory agents including drugs and specific biologics (‘biological response modifiers’) such as cytokines, antibodies and fusion proteins which may be helpful for future treatments of atopic dermatitis (AD).1-3 Consequently, new therapeutic strategies emerged by the use of these immunomodulating drugs (Table 21.1). As a consequence of the improved understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying immune-mediated diseases, several new targets have been identified, leading to the development of even more specific agonists or antagonists. Moreover, new therapies using in vitro modified antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are currently under investigation.4
