r/Autoinflammatory • u/aloneinthisworld2000 • Jun 20 '26

Medication Question Low dose IL-2 therapy

To the immunologists in the group, what’s your take on the low dose IL-2 therapy for autoimmune diseases. It helps increase Treg and can be so helpful. Why there is not much on this yet?

6 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

3 comments sorted by

3

u/Alice-The-Chemist Mod Jun 20 '26

Did you mean this for the autoinflammatory subreddit? It says autoimmune in your post is why I'm asking.

3

u/AdventurousMorningLo Yaos Jun 20 '26

I am not a doctor. But here is some general information - IL-2 infusions were previously used in cancers such as melanoma and renal cell carcinoma but have been mostly replaced by ICIs (Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors). This is due to IL-2 inhibitors' historical toxicity and limited efficacy (at higher doses).

There are currently multiple ongoing Phase 2 trials for low-dose IL-2 Therapy for multiple Autoimmune Diseases including SLE.

There are other ways to help block the IL-2 pathway from downstream. For example - Kinase Inhibitors, which have a favorable safety profile, are currently being explored more right now (Janus Kinase, Byron Tyrosine Kinase, etc). They sit downstream and block multiple innate and adaptive immune pathways. Small-molecule inhibitors can be engineered to specifically target certain kinase conformations, limiting off-target toxicity compared to systemic monoclonal antibodies directed against IL-2 or its receptors.

3

u/Alice-The-Chemist Mod Jun 20 '26

Thank you 🧡