A new platform for autoimmune diseases. Inducing tolerance with liposomes encapsulating autoantigens.

Autoimmune diseases (AIDs) are caused by the loss of self-tolerance and destruction of tissues by the host's immune system. Several antigen-specific immunotherapies, focused on arresting the autoimmune attack, have been tested in clinical trials with discouraging results. Therefore, there is a need for innovative strategies to restore self-tolerance safely and definitively in AIDs. We previously demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of phosphatidylserine (PS)-liposomes encapsulating autoantigens in experimental type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Here, we show that PS-liposomes can be adapted to other autoimmune diseases by simply replacing the encapsulated autoantigen. After administration, they are distributed to target organs, captured by phagocytes and interact with several immune cells, thus exerting a tolerogenic and immunoregulatory effect. Specific PS-liposomes demonstrate great preventive and therapeutic efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis and myasthenia gravis. Thus, this work highlights the therapeutic potential of a platform for several autoimmunity settings, which is specific, safe, and with long-term effects.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest M.V.-P. is co-founder and CSO of Ahead Therapeutics SL. L.A.-F., S.R.-F., B.B. and S.R.-V., M.S., and M.D. are employees by this company. J.V. and M.V.-P. hold a patent that relate to liposome immunotherapy for autoimmune diseases, licensed to Ahead Therapeuthics SL. This work was partially funded by Ahead Therapeutics SL. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
(Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)