From autoimmunity to autoimmune disease

This thesis describes several mechanisms in which T and B lymphocytes, together with the costimulatory molecules and cytokines that influence their behavior, are fundamental in the progression of autoimmunity to autoimmune disease. If these mechanisms can be understood in greater detail, more specific drug targets can be discovered, enabling better control of diseases such as type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, SLE and RA while minimizing undesirable side effects resulting from the complete deletion/inactivation of non-pathogenic immune cells.