Therapeutic activity of agonistic monoclonal antibodies against CD40 in a chronic autoimmune inflammatory process

The use of agonistic monoclonal antibody against CD40 has emerged as one th e most effective ways to boost immune responses against infectious agents o r to fight cancer. Here, we report that the same monoclonal antibodies agai nst CD40 (FGK45 and 3/23) previously used to elicit protective immune respo nses treated the autoimmune inflammatory process of chronic collagen-induce d arthritis in DBA/1-TCR-beta transgenic mice, as well as collagen-induced arthritis in DBA/1 mice, both animal models of rheumatoid arthritis. This s tudy indicates that agonistic monoclonal antibody against CD40 can potentia lly be used to treat chronic autoimmune inflammatory processes.