Other terms
- Objective Endpoints
- Ocular Disease
- Oculocutaneous Albinism
- Office for Human Research Protection (OHRP)
- Omics
- Oncogenesis
- Oncology
- Open-Angle Glaucoma
- Open-Label Trial
- Ophthalmology
- Optic Nerve
- Osteoarthritis
Novel Cytokines
What are Novel Cytokines? Cytokines are signaling proteins that play a key role in the immune system's response to infections, inflammation, and other biological processes. Novel cytokines refer to newly discovered or engineered cytokines that have unique properties or functions.
Applications of Novel Cytokines
Novel cytokines provide are being explored as potential targets for therapeutic interventions and biomarkers in various diseases, including cancer, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases.
Examples of novel cytokines include:
- IL-38, a novel cytokine in the IL-1 family that has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects in several autoimmune diseases, such as SLE, through the downregulation of TNF-α. Its function within the immune system makes for a promising target for the development of new therapeutics for autoimmune diseases.
- Nemvaleukin alfa, a fusion protein engineered to selectively bind to IL-2R and increase the number of anti-tumor T cells and NK cells, is currently being studied as a potential immunotherapy for several cancers using the IL2 pathway while limiting toxicity.
- IL-37, a novel cytokine found to have anti-inflammatory properties, was found to be significantly elevated in patients with sepsis, demonstrating a potential to be used as a biomarker to guide treatment.
Source: Xu, W. et al. (2020). IL‐38: A novel cytokine in systemic lupus erythematosus pathogenesis. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, 24(21), 12379–12389. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcmm.15737
