Introduction: Treatment with alemtuzumab is highly effective in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis; however, 30% of patients develop autoimmunity. Alemtuzumab (previously called Campath 1-H) induces a prolonged T-cell lymphopenia with memory cells dominating the reconstituting T-cell pool for at least 3 months. Results: Here we show that B-cell recovery is rapid, returning to baseline by 3 months and rising to 165% of baseline by 12 months after treatment. Immature transitional 1 B cells are the predominant cell type 1 month after treatment. This coincides with a surge in serum B-cell activating factor (BAFF), which remains elevated by 33% for at least 12 months after alemtuzumab. BAFF is critical for transition to the mature naive B-cell phenotype, which dominates from 3 months after alemtuzumab. Differentiation to memory B cells is slow so there are radical and prolonged alterations to the B-cell pool after alemtuzumab. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.
CITATION STYLE
Thompson, S. A. J., Jones, J. L., Cox, A. L., Compston, D. A. S., & Coles, A. J. (2010). B-Cell reconstitution and BAFF after alemtuzumab (Campath-1H) treatment of multiple sclerosis. Journal of Clinical Immunology, 30(1), 99–105. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-009-9327-3
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