Anti-B-Cell-Activating Factor (BAFF) Therapy: A Novel Addition to Autoimmune Disease Management and Potential for Immunomodulatory Therapy in Warm Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia.
Mahija CheekatiIrina MurakhovskayaPublished in: Biomedicines (2024)
Although rituximab is not specifically approved for the treatment of warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (WAIHA), the First International Consensus Group recommends considering its use as part of the initial therapy for patients with severe disease and as a second-line therapy for primary WAIHA. Some patients do not respond to rituximab, and relapses are common. These relapses are associated with elevated B-cell-activating factor (BAFF) levels and the presence of quiescent long-lived plasma cells (LLPCs) in the spleen. A new group of immunomodulatory drugs, B-cell-activating factor inhibitors (BAFF-i), demonstrated efficacy in multiple autoimmune diseases and have the potential to improve WAIHA treatment outcomes by targeting B-cells and LLPCs. This article reviews the role of BAFF in autoimmune disorders and the currently available literature on the use of BAFF-directed therapies in various immunologic disorders, including WAIHA. Collectively, the clinical data thus far shows robust potential for targeting BAFF in WAIHA therapy.
Keyphrases
- multiple sclerosis
- end stage renal disease
- chronic kidney disease
- signaling pathway
- drug induced
- induced apoptosis
- ejection fraction
- diffuse large b cell lymphoma
- systematic review
- stem cells
- early onset
- newly diagnosed
- randomized controlled trial
- human health
- climate change
- peritoneal dialysis
- machine learning
- cell death
- cell proliferation
- hodgkin lymphoma
- chronic lymphocytic leukemia
- combination therapy
- data analysis
- neural stem cells