Week 3, June 2024: Intravenous Immunoglobulin Therapy
Biointron2024-06-18Read time: 2 mins
DOI:10.1007/s10875-007-9088-9
Intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs) offer a versatile treatment modality for a variety of immune-mediated disorders. Originally used for antibody replacement therapy, their unexpected anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects have allowed them to extend their use to other conditions. Derived from the pooled plasma of thousands of healthy donors, IVIGs contain a broad spectrum of antibodies, which contribute to their effectiveness in modulating immune responses, such as helping to neutralize autoantibodies, suppress inflammatory pathways, and restore immune homeostasis. The many mechanisms of IVIGs, including Fc receptor blockade, modulation of B cell function, and the enhancement of regulatory T cell activity, improve their therapeutic potential across a broad spectrum of clinical scenarios.
This Monday, the FDA gave approval of Biotest’s Yimmugo, an innovative therapeutic to treat primary immunodeficiencies (PID). Yimmugo is a polyvalent IVIG approved in the US for substitution therapy in primary antibody deficiency syndromes. PIDs are a group of over 450 rare, chronic conditions where a part of the body's immune system is absent or malfunctioning. Although each PID is unique, they all affect the immune system's ability to function properly.
Last week, a case study about a patient with autoimmune cerebellar ataxia (ACA) showed significant improvement in health after nine plasmapheresis sessions and six doses of IVIG, despite negative cancer screenings. Ongoing management included biannual rituximab treatments. This news gives hope to the potential of using plasmapheresis and IVIG for treatment of non-tumor anti-Tr/DNER antibody-associated ataxia.
Another recent paper describes a trial for the use of IVIG for COVID-19 patients. The results found an improvement in the National Early Warning Score 2 at the end of treatment in the IVIG arm and a statistically significant reduction in mortality. Therefore, IVIG was deemed to be a safe and effective adjunctive therapy to standard-of-care treatment in moderate-to-severe COVID-19 patients needing ventilatory support.
Bispecific antibodies are rapidly transforming the therapeutic landscape, especially in oncology and autoimmune diseases. Such recombinant molecules can bind to two different antigens at the same time, offering greater specificity in targeting disease pathways. Since their introduction, the area of bispecifics has held tremendous promise in oncological cancers like multiple myeloma and lymphomas.
A common theme emerging from recent antibody research is the development and validation of advanced diagnostic tools based on antibody detection. Multiple studies highlight the creation of novel biosensors and assays designed to enhance the sensitivity, specificity, and efficiency of detecting antibodies across various diseases.
T cell immunoreceptor with immunoglobulin and ITIM domain (TIGIT) is an immune receptor that plays a key role in suppressing T-cell activation and proliferation. As a newly identified checkpoint, it is highly expressed on various immune cells, including CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, NK cells.
