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Targeting B Cells in Neurological Autoimmune Diseases

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Drugs Targeting B-Cells in Autoimmune Diseases

Part of the book series: Milestones in Drug Therapy ((MDT))

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Abstract

As B cells are thought to play an active role in the pathophysiology of a large number of neurological disorders through the secretion of antibodies, the activation-dependent release of cytokines and the mutual activation of T cells, B-cell-directed therapy has emerged as a promising tool in the therapeutic strategies of a range of autoimmune neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), neuromyelitis optica, autoimmune encephalitis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polineuropathies, myasthenia gravis, and Lambert–Eaton syndrome. Rituximab, an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody, has been the most frequently reported therapy in this context. However, evidence of efficacy is limited to case reports or short small series, most of them retrospective, and with a few exceptions, e.g. MS, randomized controlled trials are lacking. In this article, we review and discuss the available literature on B cell-targeted therapies in autoimmune neurologic diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Service of Neurology, Hospital Clinic and Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), University of Barcelona, Villarroel 170, 08036, Barcelona, Spain

    Maria Sepúlveda, Albert Saiz & Francesc Graus

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  1. Maria Sepúlveda
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  2. Albert Saiz
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  3. Francesc Graus
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Correspondence to Albert Saiz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital Clinic, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain

    Xavier Bosch

  2. Department of Autoimmune Diseases, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain

    Manuel Ramos-Casals

  3. King's College, The Rayne Institute, St. Thomas' Hospital, London, United Kingdom

    Munther A Khamashta

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Sepúlveda, M., Saiz, A., Graus, F. (2014). Targeting B Cells in Neurological Autoimmune Diseases. In: Bosch, X., Ramos-Casals, M., Khamashta, M. (eds) Drugs Targeting B-Cells in Autoimmune Diseases. Milestones in Drug Therapy. Springer, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-0706-7_12

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