CD28/CD154 blockade prevents autoimmune diabetes by inducing nondeletional tolerance after effector t-cell inhibition and regulatory T-cell expansion.

Objective: Blocking T-cell signaling is an effective means to prevent autoimmunity and allograft rejection in many animal models, yet the clinical translation of many of these approaches has not resulted in the success witnessed in experimental systems. Improved understanding of these approaches may assist in developing safe and effective means to treat disorders such as autoimmune diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: We studied the effect of anti-CD154 and CTLA4-Ig on diabetes development, and the requirements to induce tolerance in nod.