Whereas mature dendritic cells are highly potent stimulatory antigen presenting cells, immature dendritic cells are tolerogenic. Dendritic cell therapy is being explored as a means of both promoting immunity (mature DCs) and inducing tolerance (immature DCs). Immune silencing may be made feasible by loading DCs ex vivo with self-antigens followed by treatments that render them tolerogenic (TGF-β, retinoic acid, or rapamycin, for instance). Reinfusion of these cells may be useful for inducing tolerance, though numerous obstacles remain.
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