Darren Lee

By Ashvini Reddy, Fauziyya Muhammad and Darren J. Lee

Uveitis is a leading cause of blindness that presents a considerable challenge given that our understanding of the mechanisms of disease is still evolving. Both innate and adaptive immunity play a role in disease and mediators of these responses can serve as therapeutic targets. TNF-α and IL-1β inflammatory cytokines are central mediators of immunity and are involved in the dysregulated inflammatory response during uveitis. Because toxicity limits the use of steroids and other steroid-sparing agents, biologics that target a specific cell type or pathway are being explored for the treatment of autoimmune uveitis. This chapter begins with a broad overview of the aberrant immune response resulting in uveitis, and highlights key mediators such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17 and their potential use as therapeutic targets. Most biological agents discussed in this review have not been FDA-approved for uveitis. However, favorable outcomes in early trials and FDA approval of these drugs for the treatment of other autoimmune diseases associated with uveitis support the potential for these biological agents in the management of uveitis. This review aims to provide an updated report on the efficacy of biologics that target TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17 for the treatment of autoimmune uveitis.

Part of the book: Advances in the Diagnosis and Management of Uveitis