Clinical Research Progress of BTK Inhibitors in the Treatment of Autoimmune Diseases

Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) is an important protein of the tyrosine kinase family and plays a key role in signal transduction, proliferation, migration, and survival in B lymphocytes. The inhibition of BTK is a promising therapy for various autoimmune diseases (AD) involving abnormal B cell function, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis (MS), and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This article briefly summarizes the role of BTK in the BCR signaling pathway, the development process of BTK inhibitors, and especially the latest progress of their clinical trials for the treatment of AD.