Project description:BackgroundSystemic sclerosis (SSc) patients often need immunosuppressive medication (IS) for disease control. If SSc is progressive despite IS, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) is a treatment option for selected SSc patients. aHSCT is effective with good available evidence, but not all patients achieve a treatment-free remission after aHSCT. Thus far, data about the need of IS after aHSCT in SSc is not published. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of IS after aHSCT, its efficacy, and the occurrence of severe adverse events (SAEs).MethodsTwenty-seven patients with SSc who had undergone aHSCT were included in this single-center retrospective cohort study. Clinical data, including IS, SAEs, and lung function data, were collected.ResultsSixteen of 27 (59.3%) patients received IS after aHSCT. Methotrexate, rituximab, mycophenolate, cyclophosphamide, and hydroxychloroquine were most commonly used. The main reason for starting IS was SSc progress. Nine patients received rituximab after aHSCT and showed an improvement in modified Rodnan skin score and a stabilization of lung function 2 years after rituximab. SAEs in patients with IS after aHSCT (50.0%) were not more common than in patients without IS (54.6%). SAEs were mostly due to SSc progress, secondary autoimmune diseases, or infections. Two deaths after aHSCT were transplantation related and three during long-term follow-up due to pulmonary arterial hypertension.ConclusionDisease progression and secondary autoimmune diseases may necessitate IS after aHSCT in SSc. Rituximab seems to be an efficacious treatment option in this setting. Long-term data on the safety of aHSCT is reassuring.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) is a treatment option for a selected group of systemic sclerosis (SSc) patients with good available evidence but can be associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to describe infectious complications and distinct immune reconstitution patterns after aHSCT and to detect risk factors in lymphocyte subsets, which are associated with an elevated rate of infections after aHSCT. METHODS:Seventeen patients with SSc were included in this single-center retrospective cohort study. Clinical and laboratory data was collected before and for 12?months after aHSCT, including immunophenotyping of peripheral whole blood by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. RESULTS:Cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivations were common in CMV-IgG-positive patients (50%) and needed treatment. Mycotic infections occurred in 17.6%. One patient died (resulting in a mortality of 5.9%) due to pneumonia with consecutive sepsis. All patients showed decreased T helper cells (CD3+/CD4+) and within the B cell compartment decreased post-switched memory B cells (CD19+/CD27+/IgD-) and elevated naïve B cells (CD19+/CD27-/IgD+) until 12?months after aHSCT. Patients who developed infections had significantly lower B cells before aHSCT than patients who did not develop infections. CONCLUSION:After aHSCT, monitoring for infectious complications, especially for CMV reactivations, is crucial as the reconstitution of the immune system takes longer than 12?months. Low peripheral B cells might be a risk factor for an elevated infection rate.
Project description:Current systemic therapies are rarely curative for patients with severe life-threatening forms of autoimmune disease (AID). During the past 15 years, autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) has been demonstrated to cure some patients with severe AID refractory to all other available therapies, and thus AID has become an emerging indication for cell therapy. The sustained clinical effects after autologous HCT are better explained by qualitative change in the reconstituted immune repertoire rather than transient depletion of immune cells. Since 1996, more than 1300 AID patients have been registered by the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and almost 500 patients by the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR). Autologous HCT is most commonly performed for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) or systemic sclerosis (SSc). Systemic lupus, Crohn's disease, type I diabetes, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis are other common indications. Allogeneic transplants are still considered too toxic for use in AID, except for cases of immune cytopenia. Although biologic therapies have been effective at controlling the manifestations of the disease, they require continuous administration, thus raising questions about their increasing costs, morbidity, and mortality related to prolonged therapy. Perhaps it is a reasonable time to ask, "Is autologous HCT for severe AID now ready for prime time?" Yet, the paucity of controlled studies, the short-term toxicities, and the upcoming availability of second-generation biologic and targeted immunotherapies argues that perhaps HCT for AID should be still limited to clinical trials. In this article, we focus on the results of autologous HCT for MS and SSc because these are the two most commonly transplanted diseases. The promising data that is emerging may establish these diseases as standard indications for HCT.
Project description:Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic autoimmune disease with high morbidity and mortality. Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (AHSCT) is the best therapeutic option for rapidly progressive SSc, allowing increased survival with regression of skin and lung fibrosis. The immune determinants of the clinical response after AHSCT have yet to be well characterized. In particular, the pivotal role of the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) system is not well understood, including the role of non-classical immuno-modulatory HLA-E and HLA-G molecules in developing tolerance and the role of Natural Killer cells (NK) in the immunomodulation processes. We retrospectively tested whether the genetic and/or circulating expression of the non-classical HLA-E and HLA-G loci, as well as the imputed classical HLA determinants of HLA-E expression, influence the observed clinical response to AHSCT at 12- and 24-month follow-up. In a phenotypically well-defined sample of 46 SSc patients classified as clinical responders or non-responders, we performed HLA genotyping using next-generation sequencing and circulating levels of HLA-G and quantified HLA-E soluble isoforms by ELISA. The -21HLA-B leader peptide dimorphism and the differential expression level of HLA-A and HLA-C alleles were imputed. We observed a strong trend towards better clinical response in HLA-E*01:03 or HLA-G 14bp Del allele carriers, which are known to be associated with high expression of the corresponding molecules. At 12-month post-AHSCT follow-up, higher circulating levels of soluble HLA-E were associated with higher values of modified Rodnan Skin Score (mRSS) (p = 0.0275), a proxy of disease severity. In the non-responder group, the majority of patients carried a double dose of the HLA-B Threonine leader peptide, suggesting a non-efficient inhibitory effect of the HLA-E molecules. We did not find any correlation between the soluble HLA-G levels and the observed clinical response after AHSCT. High imputed expression levels of HLA-C alleles, reflecting more efficient NK cell inhibition, correlated with low values of the mRSS 3 months after AHSCT (p = 0.0087). This first pilot analysis of HLA-E and HLA-G immuno-modulatory molecules suggests that efficient inhibition of NK cells contributes to clinical response after AHSCT for SSc. Further studies are warranted in larger patient cohorts to confirm our results.
Project description:Importance:Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) may be effective in aggressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) that fail to respond to standard therapies. Objective:To evaluate the long-term outcomes in patients who underwent AHSCT for the treatment of MS in a large multicenter cohort. Design, Setting, and Participants:Data were obtained in a multicenter, observational, retrospective cohort study. Eligibility criteria were receipt of AHSCT for the treatment of MS between January 1995 and December 2006 and the availability of a prespecified minimum data set comprising the disease subtype at baseline; the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score at baseline; information on the administered conditioning regimen and graft manipulation; and at least 1 follow-up visit or report after transplant. The last patient visit was on July 1, 2012. To avoid bias, all eligible patients were included in the analysis regardless of their duration of follow-up. Data analysis was conducted from September 1, 2014 to April 27, 2015. Exposures:Demographic, disease-related, and treatment-related exposures were considered variables of interest, including age, disease subtype, baseline EDSS score, number of previous disease-modifying treatments, and intensity of the conditioning regimen. Main Outcomes and Measures:The primary outcomes were MS progression-free survival and overall survival. The probabilities of progression-free survival and overall survival were calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis models. Results:Valid data were obtained from 25 centers in 13 countries for 281 evaluable patients, with median follow-up of 6.6 years (range, 0.2-16 years). Seventy-eight percent (218 of 281) of patients had progressive forms of MS. The median EDSS score before mobilization of peripheral blood stem cells was 6.5 (range, 1.5-9). Eight deaths (2.8%; 95% CI, 1.0%-4.9%) were reported within 100 days of transplant and were considered transplant-related mortality. The 5-year probability of progression-free survival as assessed by the EDSS score was 46% (95% CI, 42%-54%), and overall survival was 93% (95% CI, 89%-96%) at 5 years. Factors associated with neurological progression after transplant were older age (hazard ratio [HR], 1.03; 95% CI, 1.00-1.05), progressive vs relapsing form of MS (HR, 2.33; 95% CI, 1.27-4.28), and more than 2 previous disease-modifying therapies (HR, 1.65; 95% CI, 1.10-2.47). Higher baseline EDSS score was associated with worse overall survival (HR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.40-2.95). Conclusions and Relevance:In this observational study of patients with MS treated with AHSCT, almost half of them remained free from neurological progression for 5 years after transplant. Younger age, relapsing form of MS, fewer prior immunotherapies, and lower baseline EDSS score were factors associated with better outcomes. The results support the rationale for further randomized clinical trials of AHSCT for the treatment of MS.
Project description:Background and objectivesAutologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) is increasingly used to treat aggressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). This procedure is believed to result in an immune reset and restoration of a self-tolerant immune system. Immune reconstitution has been extensively studied for T cells, but only to a limited extent for B cells. As increasing evidence suggests an important role of B cells in MS pathogenesis, we sought here to better understand reconstitution and the extent of renewal of the B-cell system after aHSCT in MS.MethodsUsing longitudinal multidimensional flow cytometry and immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) repertoire sequencing following aHSCT with BCNU + Etoposide + Ara-C + Melphalan anti-thymocyte globulin, we analyzed the B-cell compartment in a cohort of 20 patients with MS in defined intervals before and up to 1 year after aHSCT and compared these findings with data from healthy controls.ResultsTotal B-cell numbers recovered within 3 months and increased above normal levels 1 year after transplantation, successively shifting from a predominantly transitional to a naive immune phenotype. Memory subpopulations recovered slowly and remained below normal levels with reduced repertoire diversity 1 year after transplantation. Isotype subclass analysis revealed a proportional shift toward IgG1-expressing cells and a reduction in IgG2 cells. Mutation analysis of IgH sequences showed that highly mutated memory B cells and plasma cells may transiently survive conditioning while the analysis of sequence cluster overlap, variable (IGHV) and joining (IGHJ) gene usage and repertoire diversity suggested a renewal of the late posttransplant repertoire. In patients with early cytomegalovirus reactivation, reconstitution of naive and memory B cells was delayed.DiscussionOur detailed characterization of B-cell reconstitution after aHSCT in MS indicates a reduced reactivation potential of memory B cells up to 1 year after transplantation, which may leave patients susceptible to infection, but may also be an important aspect of its mechanism of action.
Project description:OBJECTIVE:In the randomised scleroderma: Cyclophosphamide Or Transplantation (SCOT trial) (NCT00114530), myeloablation, followed by haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), led to improved clinical outcomes compared with monthly cyclophosphamide (CYC) treatment in systemic sclerosis (SSc). Herein, the study aimed to determine global molecular changes at the whole blood transcript and serum protein levels ensuing from HSCT in comparison to intravenous monthly CYC in 62 participants enrolled in the SCOT study. METHODS:Global transcript studies were performed at pretreatment baseline, 8 months and 26 months postrandomisation using Illumina HT-12 arrays. Levels of 102 proteins were measured in the concomitantly collected serum samples. RESULTS:At the baseline visit, interferon (IFN) and neutrophil transcript modules were upregulated and the cytotoxic/NK module was downregulated in SSc compared with unaffected controls. A paired comparison of the 26?months to the baseline samples revealed a significant decrease of the IFN and neutrophil modules and an increase in the cytotoxic/NK module in the HSCT arm while there was no significant change in the CYC control arm. Also, a composite score of correlating serum proteins with IFN and neutrophil transcript modules, as well as a multilevel analysis showed significant changes in SSc molecular signatures after HSCT while similar changes were not observed in the CYC arm. Lastly, a decline in the IFN and neutrophil modules was associated with an improvement in pulmonary forced vital capacity and an increase in the cytotoxic/NK module correlated with improvement in skin score. CONCLUSION:HSCT contrary to conventional treatment leads to a significant 'correction' in disease-related molecular signatures.
Project description:New strategies of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT) have gained much interest for the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus. However, assessing the clinical response and residual ?-cell function still has limitations. The aim of the study was to select the optimal quantitative index to assess pre-existing ?-cell function and to explore its predictive function for clinical response after auto-HSCT therapy. In this study, all of the patients who had undergone auto-HSCT were clustered into a responder group (??-score > 0) and a nonresponder group (??-score ? 0). We compared their quantitative metabolic indexes at baseline and performed receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) analysis to analyze the correlations between the indexes and clinical response. Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted to compare the cumulative response durations in each quartile of the selected indexes. In an average of 15.13 ± 6.15 months of follow-up, 44 of 112 patients achieved a clinical response. The responder group had lower levels of fasting plasma glucose and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) but higher levels of fasting C-peptide, fasting insulin, and homeostasis model assessments for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). ROC analysis showed that HOMA-IR had the largest area under the curve (0.756), which was similar to that of QUICKI. Kaplan-Meier analysis further confirmed that the third quartile (1.3371-1.7018) of HOMA-IR or the second quartile (0.3523-0.3657) of QUICKI was preferential for a prolonged response. In conclusion, HOMA-IR and QUICKI could be optimal measurements for ?-cell reserves, and they were predictive for the clinical response after auto-HSCT.The ?-score was comprehensive and reliable in evaluating clinical response after autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The homeostasis model assessments for insulin resistance and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index could serve as precise assessments for residual ?-cell function and good predictors of clinical response. They might be used to select optimal clinical trial participants or predict the clinical response after auto-HSCT.
Project description:This is global gene expression study of whole blood samples collected in the Cyclophosphamide Or Transplantation (SCOT) randomized controlled trial, as well as unaffected controls. Patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) received either myeloablation followed by autologous stem cell transplantation or intravenous cyclophosphamide
Project description:A recent phase I/II clinical trial drew serious attention to the therapeutic potential of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) in multiple sclerosis. However, questions were raised as to whether these beneficial effects should be attributed to the newly reconstituted immune system per se, or to the lymphoablative conditioning regimen-induced immunosuppression, given that T-cell depleting combinational drug therapies were used in the study. We discuss here the possibility that both AHSCT and T-cell depleting therapies may re-program alternatively the immune system, and why transplantation of CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells may offer AHSCT a possible advantage regarding long-term remission.