Targeting type I interferon in systemic lupus erythematosus

Type I interferon (IFN) is an attractive therapeutic target in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a notion bolstered by the positive results of a recent clinical trial of the anti-IFN antibody sifalimumab in patients with SLE. Interestingly, sifalimumab worked best in patients with high expression of IFN-induced genes, supporting the idea that subgroups of patients might be targeted specifically.