ABSTRACT
An optimal therapeutic agent for an autoimmune disease would abrogate a process(es) essential to the perpetuation of the disease without interrupting homeostatic immune functions. Evidence suggesting a central role for T cells in the pathogenesis of immune-mediated diseases is convincing and argues for the development of therapeutic modalities directed at T cell recognition events unique to each particular disease. Monoclonal antibodies directed against major histocompatibility complex molecules have been effectively employed in the treatment of several animal models of autoimmune disease, include experimental allergic encephalomyelitis, autoimmune thyroiditis, myasthenia gravis, and collagen-induced arthritis. The emergence of considerable information concerning the structures involved in antigen recognition by T cells provides a useful framework for designing disease-specific therapeutic interventions.
