Novel Therapeutic Approaches for Inclusion Body Myositis

Strategies to Slow Muscle Degeneration

Although stimulating muscle regeneration shows promise in improving muscle strength in myositis patients, it does not address the underlying disease pathogenesis. In fact, in some patients, autoantibodies may recognize antigens that are enriched in regenerating fibers,^[26] making it possible that enhancing regeneration without suppressing inflammation could actually be counter-productive. In patients with immunotherapy-refractory myositis, such as sIBM, addressing the underlying pathogenic process is critical. Even in patients with immune-mediated myositis, there are clearly nonimmune mechanisms that cause muscle degeneration (reviewed in ^[2]).

Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2010;22(6):658-664. © 2010  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins