TY - JOUR AU - Oligino, Thomas J. AU - Dalrymple, Stacie A. PY - 2003 DA - 2003/10/02 TI - Targeting B cells for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis JO - Arthritis Res Ther SP - S7 VL - 5 IS - 4 AB - The role of B cells in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been debated for decades. However, recent clinical trial data indicating that depletion of B cells in RA patients is of therapeutic benefit has validated the importance of this cell type in the pathogenesis of the disease. Elucidation of the molecular basis of B cell development and activation has allowed the identification of a number of possible therapeutic targets that are appealing for drug development. This review discusses briefly a number of these molecules and the rationale for targeting them for the treatment of RA. SN - 1478-6354 UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/ar1006 DO - 10.1186/ar1006 ID - Oligino2003 ER -