Immune-based therapies in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases: past, present and future

In this Perspective, Murphy and Febbraio reflect on the advances that have been made in the past 20 years in developing therapies for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases that target the immune system. They also consider the potential of emerging immune-based therapies for these diseases. Cardiometabolic disorders were originally thought to be driven primarily by changes in lipid metabolism that cause the accumulation of lipids in organs, thereby impairing their function. Thus, in the setting of cardiovascular disease, statins - a class of lipid-lowering drugs - have remained the frontline therapy. In the past 20 years, seminal discoveries have revealed a central role of both the innate and adaptive immune system in driving cardiometabolic disorders. As such, it is now appreciated that immune-based interventions may have an important role in reducing death and disability from cardiometabolic disorders. However, to date, there have been a limited number of clinical trials exploring this interventional strategy. Nonetheless, elegant preclinical research suggests that immune-targeted therapies can have a major impact in treating cardiometabolic disease. Here, we discuss the history and recent advancements in the use of immunotherapies to treat cardiometabolic disorders.

Automated summary

This Perspective reflects on the advances made in the past 20 years in developing immune-based therapies for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, highlighting the central role of the immune system in these disorders and the potential impact of immune-based interventions in reducing death and disability from cardiometabolic disorders.