%0 Journal Article
%T Sex differences in autoimmune diseases
%A Rhonda Voskuhl
%J Biology of Sex Differences
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/2042-6410-2-1
%X Translational research which starts with a clinical observation, such as the increased susceptibility to autoimmune disease in females, can be termed as a 'bedside to bench to bedside approach'. In contrast to the classic 'bench to bedside' approach, research that begins with a clinical observation carries less inherent risk of failure. In the 'bench to bedside' approach, a molecule of interest is focused upon as a target to either block or enhance because it is thought to be either disease promoting or inhibiting, respectively. This is an immune molecule in the case of autoimmune diseases. The inherent risk of this approach is that, while a molecule of interest may be key to a pathway in an in vitro culture, it may not be key in vivo in the animal model due to redundant molecular pathways that exist in vivo. Further, even when a molecule of interest appears to be important in disease pathogenesis in a given animal model, it may not be critical in human disease due to differences in disease pathways in the outbred human population. Thus, the vast majority of research avenues focusing on a given molecule of interest do not ultimately prove to be physiologically significant in human disease. This results in very high costs for research and development as only a few make it to the market as new treatments. In contrast, the 'beside to bench to bedside' approach begins with a clinical observation that is known to be physiologically relevant in the human disease. For example, in autoimmune disease, a major disease susceptibility factor is the state of being female. If this were understood, one would have discovered something that is indeed physiologically significant. In order to understand why being female confers increased susceptibility, one must next go to the bench, using in vitro and in vivo systems to simulate this clinical observation and dissect out its underlying aetiology. After one or more molecules have been discovered which are responsible for conferring inc
%U http://www.bsd-journal.com/content/2/1/1