Excerpt:

In 1957, a soluble factor that protected cells from viral infection was discovered by Isaacs and Lindenmann and named interferon (IFN)^1, 2. This landmark finding set the stage for cytokine research. Since then more than 90 cytokines and cytokine receptors have been identified, nine of which are the basis for current therapeutics on the market³. Given the fundamental roles of cytokines in the development and pathogenesis of many inflammatory diseases, there has been extensive worldwide research and development focused on blocking or enhancing cytokine activity.

There are numerous clinical applications for targeting cytokines and include inflammatory diseases, cancer immunotherapy, bone disorders, metabolic diseases, wound healing and antiviral therapy. Although not all potential cytokine targets can be covered in this Review, we will outline some of the most effective and promising cytokine targets that have been linked to inflammatory diseases in preclinical and clinical studies in recent years. This selection is based on an established overview of the literature and is shaped by a viewpoint of the probable success or failure of targeting these cytokine pathways. Finally, we will discuss some of the issues facing the development of cytokine-targeted drugs with respect to the type of therapeutics being developed and the inherent redundancies in inflammatory cytokine networks.