THE INDUCTION OF TOLERANCE TO ALLOANTIGENS USING HLA-BASED SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES

The identification of immunomodulatory approaches that allow the induc tion of antigen-specific unresponsiveness is required for long-term gr aft survival without the complications of chronic immunosuppression. R ecent novel strategies based upon treatment with synthetic peptides co rresponding to linear sequences of MHC class and II molecules reproduc ibly induce tolerance to alloantigens. Although the mechanisms involve d are still not completely understood, the phenomenology reported make s these approaches promising for evaluation in clinical trials.