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Immunomodulating Drugs Based on Poxviral Proteins

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Abstract

An unusually high production of cytokines or chemokines as well as increased complement activation can drive development of chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases. State-of-the-art biological therapies, recombinant receptors, or specific antibodies that target immune and inflammatory mediators are now effectively used. However, these newer drugs are not equally effective for all patients and can cause adverse effects, making the search for new immunomodulatory proteins of great importance. The poxviruses—first and foremost, the variola (smallpox) virus, which is highly pathogenic in man—code for numerous highly evolved and extraordinarily effective immunomodulatory proteins that bind cytokines, chemokines, and proteins of the complement system. The discovery of and investigation into immune modulators from the variola virus has great potential for guiding new and effective drugs for autoimmune diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR, Koltsovo, Novosibirsk region, 630559, Russia

    Galina A. Shchelkunova & Sergei N. Shchelkunov

  2. Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia

    Sergei N. Shchelkunov

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  1. Galina A. Shchelkunova
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  2. Sergei N. Shchelkunov
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Correspondence to Sergei N. Shchelkunov.

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GAS and SNS declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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This work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation (Grant No. 14-15-00050).

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Shchelkunova, G.A., Shchelkunov, S.N. Immunomodulating Drugs Based on Poxviral Proteins. BioDrugs 30, 9–16 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40259-016-0158-5

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