Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common and often debilitating disease
characterized by the inflammation of synovial membranes, leading to
deterioration of joint cartilage and bone. Since RA is associated with
human lymphocyte antigen DR4 (HLA-DR4), the disease is thought to be
autoimmune in origin. Type II collagen is probably the autoantigen
involved in RA, since it is the most abundant structural protein in
cartilage and since immunizing animals with this protein induces an
arthritis resembling RA. Therapy includes steroids, nonsteroidal anti-
inflammatory agents, and immunosuppressants, which are associated with
significant toxicity and only partially control symptoms. Recently a
Harvard Medical School team reported that oral tolerization
(desensitization) is an effective and nontoxic technique for
suppressing the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis.