Neutralising antibodies to the beta interferons
- Department of Neurology, Box 165, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK
- Correspondence to: Dr A Coles; ajc1020{at}medschl.cam.ac.uk
Determining and preventing neutralising antibodies
The amazing ability of the immune system to make fine distinctions between self and non-self is critical to its function—but a problem for treatments that mimic natural proteins, such as recombinant human factor VIII, whose use is significantly compromised by neutralising antibodies. So too is interferon beta treatment of multiple sclerosis. Antibodies against the beta interferons have usually1,2 but not always,3 been associated with increased clinical and magnetic resonance imaging markers of disease activity. Therefore, the clinician needs to know how common such antibodies are, how reliably they are detected, what to do if they are discovered, and how to prevent them. …
