We sought to test this hypothesis by evaluating the effect of CXCR4 blockade on sepsis-induced mortality and immune dysregulation using plerixafor (AMD3100), a CXCR4-antagonist currently FDA approved for stem cell mobilization prior to autologous bone marrow transplantation that is also being investigated as a treatment for several chronic inflammatory diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease [27–30]. This evidence concerns the gene CXCR4 and rheumatoid arthritis.