Advancements in immune tolerance

In recent years, considerable attention has been given to immune tolerance and its potential clinical applications for the treatment of cancers and autoimmune diseases, and the prevention of allo-graft rejection and graft-versus-host diseases. Advances in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of establishment and maintenance of immune tolerance in various experimental settings and animal models, and in our ability to manipulate the development of various immune tolerogenic cells in vitro and in vivo, have generated significant momentum for the field of cell-based tolerogenic therapy. This review briefly summarizes the major tolerogenic cell populations and their mechanisms of action, while focusing mainly on potential exploitation of their tolerogenic mechanisms for clinical applications.