A Quantitative Model of Autoimmune Disease and T-cell Vaccination: Does More Mean Less?

According to a simple mathematical model, the activated effector T cells that cause an autoimmune disorder can also cure the disease if administered in large doses. This prediction has been tested in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse model and demonstrates that administration of intermediate doses of a diabetogenic T-cell clone caused early hyperglycemia, whereas a higher dose cured the disease. As discussed here by Lee Segel and colleagues, the proposed application of T-cell vaccination to treat clinical disease obliges immunologists to consider the quantitative complexities of regulation.