DESCRIPTION

Sir Marc Feldmann’s research over the last 30 years has focused on the understanding of autoimmune disease, specifically the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Ushma Neill of the Journal of Clinical Investigation interviews Sir Marc, now at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at Oxford University, who championed the importance of antigen presentation and cytokines in autoimmunity that led to TNF-alpha blockade. This idea was considered heretical in the 1980s until, with Sir Ravinder Maini, he led clinical trials showing that blocking TNF-alpha effectively treated rheumatoid arthritis refractory to previous therapy. TNF-alpha antibodies Remicade, Humira and Enbrel are now the cornerstone of a $25 billion industry.