Basiliximab (Simulect®) and Daclizumab (Zenapax®)

To function as effector cells, T cells must undergo antigen-stimulated activation that induces synthesis of many lymphokines, including interleukin-2 (IL-2). In certain diseases, a proportion of these stimulated cells will express surface interleukin-2 receptor (IL-2R) alpha peptide, and in these conditions the serum concentration of the soluble form of this peptide is frequently elevated. Such evidence of T cell activation and IL-2R expression appears in the setting of transplant rejections as well as in many neoplastic and autoimmune disorders, thus forming the basis for anti-IL-2-directed therapy in these conditions. In this chapter, we will discuss the potential therapies involving IL-2mAbs in organ transplant and other non-transplant immunologic conditions.