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Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy are the only curative therapies for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). In patients lacking a matched donor, TCRαβ/CD19-depleted haploidentical family donor transplant (TCRαβ-HaploSCT) is a promising strategy. Conditioned transplant in SCID correlates to better myeloid chimerism and reduced immunoglobulin dependency. We studied transplant outcome in SCID infants according to donor type, specifically TCRαβ-HaploSCT, and conditioning, through retrospective cohort analysis of 52 consecutive infants with SCID transplanted between 2013 and 2020. Median age at transplant was 5.1 months (range, 0.8–16.6). Donors were TCRαβ-HaploSCT (n = 16, 31.4%), matched family donor (MFD, n = 15, 29.4%), matched unrelated donor (MUD, n = 9, 17.6%), and matched unrelated cord blood (CB, n = 11, 21.6%). Forty-one (80%) received fludarabine/treosulfan-based conditioning, 3 (6%) had alemtuzumab only, and 7 (14%) received unconditioned infusions. For conditioned transplants (n = 41), 3-year overall survival was 91% (95% confidence interval, 52–99%) for TCRαβ-HaploSCT, 80% (41–98%) for MFD, 87% (36–98%) for MUD, and 89% (43–98%) for CB (p = 0.89). Cumulative incidence of grade II–IV acute graft-versus-host disease was 11% (2–79%) after TCRαβ-HaploSCT, 0 after MFD, 29% (7–100%) after MUD, and 11% (2–79%) after CB (p = 0.10). 9/10 patients who received alemtuzumab-only or unconditioned transplants survived. Myeloid chimerism was higher following conditioning (median 47%, range 0–100%) versus unconditioned transplant (median 3%, 0–9%) (p n = 29/36, 81% vs n = 4/9, 54%) (p

Predisposition to mycobacterial infection is a key presenting feature of several rare inborn errors of intrinsic and innate immunity. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can be curative for such conditions, but published reports are few. We present a retrospective survey of the outcome of 11 affected patients (7 males, 4 females) who underwent HSCT between 2007 and 2019. Eight patients had disseminated mycobacterial infection prior to transplant. Median age at first transplant was 48 months (9 -192); three patients were successfully re-transplanted due to secondary graft failure. Donors were matched family (1), matched unrelated (3), and mismatched unrelated and haploidentical family (5 each). Stem cell source was peripheral blood (9), bone marrow (4), and cord blood (1). TCRαβ/CD19 + depletion was performed in 6. Conditioning regimens were treosulfan, fludarabine (4), with additional thiotepa (in 8), and fludarabine, melphalan (2); all had serotherapy with alemtuzumab (8) or anti T-lymphocyte globulin (6). Median hospital stay was 113 days (36–330). Three patients developed acute grade I-II skin and one grade IV skin graft versus host disease. Four patients had immune-reconstitution syndrome. Two reactivated cytomegalovirus (CMV), 1 Epstein-Barr virus, and 3 adenovirus post HSCT. Nine are alive, 1 died early post-transplant from CMV, and the other was a late death from pneumococcal sepsis. Patients with active mycobacterial infection at HSCT continued anti-mycobacterial therapy for almost 12 months. In conclusion, HSCT is a successful treatment for patients with mycobacterial susceptibility even with disseminated mycobacterial infection and in the absence of an HLA matched donor.

Purpose of review A small proportion of children affected by rheumatic diseases suffer from severe, progressive disease, resistant to conventional antirheumatic therapies and to biologic agents interfering with inflammatory cytokines, costimulatory molecules expressed on immune system cells and intracellular signalling pathways. Adding to the poor prognosis is a high risk from significant morbidity and mortality associated with long-term treatment with multiple, often combined anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents. Carefully selected patients from this unfortunate group may benefit from treatment with haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Recent findings The majority of patients with severe paediatric rheumatic and autoinflammatory diseases treated with autologous and/or allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation achieved long-term remission. However, the incidence of disease relapse and transplant related morbidity and mortality is still significant. Summary Careful patient and donor selection, timing of the transplant earlier in the course of disease rather than the 'last resort' and choosing the most suitable conditioning regimen for each individual patient are the major factors favouring successful outcome. Close co-operation between the patients, their family, and involved medical teams is essential.

Discovery that mutations in TCIRG1 (also known as Atp6i) gene are responsible for most instances of autosomal recessive osteopetrosis (ARO) heralded a new era for comprehension and treatment of this phenotypically heterogeneous rare bone disease. TCIRG1 encodes the a3 subunit, an essential isoform of the vacuolar ATPase proton pump involved in acidification of the osteoclast resorption lacuna and in secretory lysosome trafficking. TCIRG1 defects lead to inefficient bone resorption by nonfunctional osteoclasts seen in abundance on bone marrow biopsy, delineating this ARO as 'osteoclast-rich'. Presentation is usually in early childhood and features of extramedullary haematopoiesis (hepatosplenomegaly, anaemia, thrombocytopenia) due to bone marrow fibrosis, and cranial nerve impingement (blindness in particular). Impaired dietary calcium uptake due to high pH causes the co-occurrence of rickets, described as "osteopetrorickets". Osteoclast dysfunction leads to early death if untreated, and allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation is currently the treatment of choice. Studies of patients as well as of mouse models carrying spontaneous (the oc/oc mouse) or targeted disruption of Atp6i (TCIRG1) gene have been instrumental providing insight into disease pathogenesis and development of novel cellular therapies that exploit gene correction.

Background Post hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) autoimmune cytopenia (AIC) is a potentially life-threatening complication, but studies focusing on large cohorts of patients transplanted for primary immunodeficiency are lacking. Objectives This study sought to determine the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of post-HCT AIC and B-lymphocyte function following rituximab. Methods We retrospectively studied 502 children with primary immunodeficiency who were transplanted at our center between 1987 and 2018. Results Thirty-six patients (9%) developed post-HCT AIC, with a median onset of 6.5 months post-HCT. On univariate analysis, pre-HCT AIC, mismatched donor, alemtuzumab, anti-thymocyte antiglobulin, and acute and chronic graft versus host disease were significantly associated with post-HCT AIC. After multivariate analysis, alemtuzumab (subdistribution hazard ratio, 9.0; 95% CI, 1.50-54.0; P = .02) was independently associated with post-HCT AIC. Corticosteroid and high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin achieved remission in 50% (n = 18), additional rituximab led to remission in 25% (n = 9), and the remaining 25% were treated with a combination of various modalities including sirolimus (n = 5), bortezomib (n = 3), mycophenolate mofetil (n = 2), splenectomy (n = 2), and second HCT (n = 3). The mortality of post-HCT AIC reduced from 25% (4 of 16) prior to 2011 to 5% (1 of 20) after 2011. The median follow-up of 5.8 years (range, 0.4 to 29.1 years) showed that 26 of 30 survivors (87%) were in complete remission, and 4 were in remission with ongoing sirolimus and low-dose steroids. Of the 17 who received rituximab, 7 had B-lymphocyte recovery, 5 had persistent low B-lymphocyte count and remained on intravenous immunoglobulin replacement, 2 had second HCT, and 3 died. Conclusions The frequency of post HCT AIC in our cohort was 9%, and the most significant risk factors for its occurrence were the presence of graft versus host disease and the use of alemtuzumab.

Context Remission rates in young people with Graves hyperthyroidism are less than 25% after 2 years of thionamide antithyroid drug (ATD). Objective We explored whether rituximab (RTX), a B-lymphocyte–depleting agent, would increase remission rates when administered with a short course of ATD. Methods This was an open-label, multicenter, single-arm, phase 2 trial in young people (ages, 12-20 years) with Graves hyperthyroidism. An A’Hern design was used to distinguish an encouraging remission rate (40%) from an unacceptable rate (20%). Participants presenting with Graves hyperthyroidism received 500 mg RTX and 12 months of ATD titrated according to thyroid function. ATDs were stopped after 12 months and primary outcome assessed at 24 months. Participants had relapsed at 24 months if thyrotropin was suppressed and free 3,5,3′-triiodothyronine was raised; they had received ATD between months 12 and 24; or they had thyroid surgery/radioiodine. Results A total of 27 participants were recruited and completed the trial with no serious side effects linked to treatment. Daily carbimazole dose at 12 months was less than 5 mg in 21 of 27 participants. Thirteen of 27 participants were in remission at 24 months (48%, 90% one-sided CI, 35%-100%); this exceeded the critical value (9) for the A’Hern design and provided evidence of a promising remission rate. B-lymphocyte count at 28 weeks, expressed as a percentage of baseline, was related to likelihood of remission. Conclusion Adjuvant RTX, administered with a 12-month course of ATD, may increase the likelihood of remission in young people with Graves hyperthyroidism. A randomized trial of adjuvant RTX in young people with Graves hyperthyroidism is warranted.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and gene therapy are the only curative therapies for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). In patients lacking a matched donor, TCRαβ/CD19-depleted haploidentical family donor transplant (TCRαβ-HaploSCT) is a promising strategy. Conditioned transplant in SCID correlates to better myeloid chimerism and reduced immunoglobulin dependency. We studied transplant outcome in SCID infants according to donor type, specifically TCRαβ-HaploSCT, and conditioning, through retrospective cohort analysis of 52 consecutive infants with SCID transplanted between 2013 and 2020. Median age at transplant was 5.1 months (range, 0.8-16.6). Donors were TCRαβ-HaploSCT (n = 16, 31.4%), matched family donor (MFD, n = 15, 29.4%), matched unrelated donor (MUD, n = 9, 17.6%), and matched unrelated cord blood (CB, n = 11, 21.6%). Forty-one (80%) received fludarabine/treosulfan-based conditioning, 3 (6%) had alemtuzumab only, and 7 (14%) received unconditioned infusions. For conditioned transplants (n = 41), 3-year overall survival was 91% (95% confidence interval, 52-99%) for TCRαβ-HaploSCT, 80% (41-98%) for MFD, 87% (36-98%) for MUD, and 89% (43-98%) for CB (p = 0.89). Cumulative incidence of grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease was 11% (2-79%) after TCRαβ-HaploSCT, 0 after MFD, 29% (7-100%) after MUD, and 11% (2-79%) after CB (p = 0.10). 9/10 patients who received alemtuzumab-only or unconditioned transplants survived. Myeloid chimerism was higher following conditioning (median 47%, range 0-100%) versus unconditioned transplant (median 3%, 0-9%) (p 0.001), as was the proportion of immunoglobulin-free long-term survivors (n = 29/36, 81% vs n = 4/9, 54%) (p 0.001). TCRαβ-HaploSCT has comparable outcome to MUD and is a promising alternative donor strategy for infants with SCID lacking MFD. This study confirms that conditioned transplant offers better myeloid chimerism and immunoglobulin freedom in long-term survivors.

Osteopetrosis (OPT) is a rare inherited bone disease characterized by a bone resorption defect, due to osteoclast malfunction (in osteoclast-rich, oc-rich, OPT forms) or absence (in oc-poor OPT forms). This causes severe clinical abnormalities, including increased bone density, lack of bone marrow cavity, stunted growth, macrocephaly, progressive deafness, blindness, hepatosplenomegaly, and severe anemia. The oc-poor subtype of OPT is ultra-rare in humans. It is caused by mutations in either the tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily member 11 (TNFSF11) gene, encoding RANKL (Receptor Activator of Nuclear factor-kappa B [NF-κB] Ligand) which is expressed on cells of mesenchymal origin and lymphocytes, or the TNFRSF member 11A (TNFRSF11A) gene, encoding the RANKL functional receptor RANK which is expressed on cells of myeloid lineage including osteoclasts. Clinical presentation is usually severe with onset in early infancy or in fetal life, although as more patients are reported, expressivity is variable. Phenotypic variability of RANK-deficient OPT sometimes includes hypogammaglobulinemia or radiological features of dysosteosclerosis. Disease progression is somewhat slower in RANKL-deficient OPT than in other 'malignant' subtypes of OPT. While both RANKL and RANK are essential for normal bone turnover, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the treatment of choice only for patients with the RANK-deficient form of oc-poor OPT. So far, there is no cure for RANKL-deficient OPT.

Autosomal dominant hyper-IgE syndrome caused by dominant-negative loss-of-function mutations in signal transducer and activator of transcription factor 3 (STAT3) (STAT3-HIES) is a rare primary immunodeficiency with multisystem pathology. The quality of life in patients with STAT3-HIES is determined by not only the progressive, life-limiting pulmonary disease, but also significant skin disease including recurrent infections and abscesses requiring surgery. Our early report indicated that hematopoietic stem cell transplantation might not be effective in patients with STAT3-HIES, although a few subsequent reports have reported successful outcomes. We update on progress of our patient now with over 18 years of follow-up and report on an additional seven cases, all of whom have survived despite demonstrating significant disease-related pathology prior to transplant. We conclude that effective cure of the immunological aspects of the disease and stabilization of even severe lung involvement may be achieved by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Recurrent skin infections and abscesses may be abolished. Donor TH17 cells may produce comparable levels of IL17A to healthy controls. The future challenge will be to determine which patients should best be offered this treatment and at what point in their disease history.

A small proportion of children affected by rheumatic diseases suffer from severe, progressive disease, resistant to conventional antirheumatic therapies and to biologic agents interfering with inflammatory cytokines, costimulatory molecules expressed on immune system cells and intracellular signalling pathways. Adding to the poor prognosis is a high risk from significant morbidity and mortality associated with long-term treatment with multiple, often combined anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents. Carefully selected patients from this unfortunate group may benefit from treatment with haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.The majority of patients with severe paediatric rheumatic and autoinflammatory diseases treated with autologous and/or allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation achieved long-term remission. However, the incidence of disease relapse and transplant related morbidity and mortality is still significant.Careful patient and donor selection, timing of the transplant earlier in the course of disease rather than the 'last resort' and choosing the most suitable conditioning regimen for each individual patient are the major factors favouring successful outcome. Close co-operation between the patients, their family, and involved medical teams is essential.

Background Mismatched stem cell transplantation is associated with a high risk of graft loss, graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), and transplant-related mortality. Alternative graft manipulation strategies have been used over the last 11 years to reduce these risks. Objective We investigated the outcome of using different graft manipulation strategies among children with primary immunodeficiencies. Methods Between 2006 and 2017, 147 patients with primary immunodeficiencies received 155 mismatched grafts: 30 T-cell receptor (TCR) αβ/CD19–depleted grafts, 43 cord blood (CB) grafts (72% with no serotherapy), 17 CD34+ selection with T-cell add-back grafts, and 65 unmanipulated grafts. Results The estimated 8-year survival of the entire cohort was 79%, transplant-related mortality was 21.7%, and the graft failure rate was 6.7%. Posttransplantation viral reactivation, grade II to IV acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD), and chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD) complicated 49.6%, 35%, and 15% of transplantations, respectively. Use of TCRαβ/CD19 depletion was associated with a significantly lower incidence of grade II to IV aGvHD (11.5%) and cGvHD (0%), although with a greater incidence of viral reactivation (70%) in comparison with other grafts. T-cell immune reconstitution was robust among CB transplants, although with a high incidence (56.7%) of grade II to IV aGvHD. Stable full donor engraftment was significantly greater at 80% among TCRαβ+/CD19+-depleted and CB transplants versus 40% to 60% among the other groups. Conclusions Rapidly accessible CB and haploidentical grafts are suitable alternatives for patients with no HLA-matched donor. Cord transplantation without serotherapy and TCRαβ+/CD19+-depleted grafts produced comparable survival rates of around 80%, although with a high rate of aGvHD with the former and a high risk of viral reactivation with the latter that need to be addressed.

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has become standard-of-care for an increasing number of inborn errors of immunity (IEI). This report is the first to compare transplant outcomes according to T-cell–replete (ie, T-replete) HLA-matched grafts using alemtuzumab (n = 117) and T-cell–depleted (ie, T-depleted) HLA-mismatched grafts using T-cell receptor-αβ (TCRαβ)/CD19 depletion (n = 47) in children with IEI who underwent first HCT between 2014 and 2019. All patients received treosulfan-based conditioning except patients with DNA repair disorders. For T-replete grafts, the stem cell source was marrow in 25 (21%) patients, peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) in 85 (73%), and cord blood in 7 (6%). TCRαβ/CD19 depletion was performed on PBSCs from 45 haploidentical parental donors and 2 mismatched unrelated donors. The 3-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival for the entire cohort were 85% (77%-90%) and 79% (69%-86%), respectively. Analysis according to age at transplant revealed a comparable 3-year OS between T-replete grafts (88%; 76%-94%) and T-depleted grafts (87%; 64%-96%) in younger patients (aged 5 years), the OS was significantly lower in T-depleted grafts (55%; 23%-78%) compared with T-replete grafts (87%; 68%-95%) (P = .03). Grade III to IV acute graft-versus-host disease was observed in 8% of T-replete marrow, 7% of T-replete PBSC, 14% of T-replete cord blood, and 2% of T-depleted PBSC (P = .73). Higher incidence of viremia (P < .001) and delayed CD3 reconstitution (P = .003) were observed after T-depleted graft HCT. These data indicate that mismatched donor transplant after TCRαβ/CD19 depletion represents an excellent alternative for younger children with IEI in need of an allograft.

Purpose Knowledge of post-hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) non-hematological autoimmune disease (AD) is far from satisfactory. Method This multicenter retrospective study focuses on incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of post-HCT AD in 596 children with primary immunodeficiency (PID) who were transplanted from 2009 to 2018. Results The indications of HCT were severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID, n = 158, 27%) and non-SCID PID (n = 438, 73%). The median age at HCT was 2.3 years (range, 0.04 to 18.3 years). The 5-year overall survival for the entire cohort was 79% (95% cumulative incidence (CIN), 74-83%). The median follow-up of surviving patients was 4.3 years (0.08 to 14.7 years). The CIN of post-HCT AD was 3% (2-5%) at 1 year post-HCT, 7% (5-11%) at 5 years post-HCT, and 11% (7-17%) at 8 years post-HCT. The median onset of post-HCT AD was 2.2 years (0.12 to 9.6 years). Autoimmune thyroid disorder (n = 19, 62%) was the most common post-HCT AD, followed by neuromuscular disorders (n = 7, 22%) and rheumatological manifestations (n = 5, 16%). All patients but one required treatment for post-HCT AD. After multivariate analysis, age at transplant (p = 0.01) and T cell-depleted graft (p < 0.001) were significant predictors of post-HCT AD. None of the T cell-depleted graft recipients developed post-HCT AD. Patients with a lower CD3+ count at 6 months post-HCT had a significant higher incidence of post-HCT AD compared to disease controls. Graft-versus-host disease, viral infection, and donor chimerism had no association with post-HCT AD. Conclusion Post-HCT AD occurred in 11% at 8 years post-HCT and its occurrence was associated with older age at HCT and unmanipulated graft.

Dominant negative mutations in the transcription-factor STAT3 underlie the rare primary immunodeficiency Job's syndrome. Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) has shown promise in correction of the underlying immunological defect, with one report suggesting HSCT can prevent development of wider connective tissue complications. Here, we report the case of a 26 year old male who developed an acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction due to coronary artery ectasia and thrombosis, occurring despite pediatric allogeneic HSCT for STAT3-HIES and a predicted 10-year conventional cardiovascular risk of 0.1%. Vasculopathy associated with STAT3-HIES may persist or arise following HSCT and can precipitate life-threatening complications. This has implications for counseling and vascular surveillance, and highlights the need for further studies to determine the risk, pathogenesis, and optimal management of the vasculopathy associated with STAT3-HIES.

ClC-7 is a chloride-proton antiporter of the CLC protein family. In complex with its accessory protein Ostm-1, ClC-7 localizes to lysosomes and to the osteoclasts' ruffled border, where it plays a critical role in acidifying the resorption lacuna during bone resorption. Gene inactivation in mice causes severe osteopetrosis, neurodegeneration, and lysosomal storage disease. Mutations in the human CLCN7 gene are associated with diverse forms of osteopetrosis. The functional evaluation of ClC-7 variants might be informative with respect to their pathogenicity, but the cellular localization of the protein hampers this analysis. Here we investigated the functional effects of 13 CLCN7 mutations identified in 13 new patients with severe or mild osteopetrosis and a known ADO2 mutation. We mapped the mutated amino acid residues in the homology model of ClC-7 protein, assessed the lysosomal colocalization of ClC-7 mutants and Ostm1 through confocal microscopy, and performed patch-clamp recordings on plasma-membrane-targeted mutant ClC-7. Finally, we analyzed these results together with the patients' clinical features and suggested a correlation between the lack of ClC-7/Ostm1 in lysosomes and severe neurodegeneration. © 2020 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Cytidine triphosphate (CTP) synthase 1 is responsible for the catalytic conversion of uridine triphosphate (UTP) to CTP in lymphocytes. This reaction is important for the biosynthesis of nucleic acids, playing a key role in lymphocyte function and turnover. Lack of this enzyme due to mutation in CTPS gene is associated with impaired capacity of activated T and B-lymphocytes to proliferate in response to antigen-induced activation. Patients with this mutation all have ancestors from the North West of England and present in the first decade of life with severe acute and chronic herpes virus infections and recurrent infections with encapsulated bacteria. There is a high risk of EBV-driven lymphoma. This is a potentially life-threatening primary immune deficiency (PID) and long-term survival has not been reported. We report on 11 patients with CTPS1 mutations who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) at three UK centres (London, Manchester and Newcastle). The molecular diagnosis was made pre-HSCT in six patients and retrospectively in five patients who had undergone HSCT for previously undiagnosed life-threatening PID. All patients had the same homozygous NM_001905.3: c.1692-1G>C mutation (rs145092287) mutation and all the parents were heterozygous carriers. This mutation is known to lead to an abnormal transcript lacking exon 18 and complete lack of protein expression. Six patients had an affected 39 sibling. Patient 1 had 2 affected siblings who died of infection and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) in early childhood and patient 2 also had a sibling who died of overwhelming VZV and EBV infections before diagnosis. Pre-transplant features are summarized in Table 1. Systemic viral infections were seen in all patients, with acute and chronic EBV infections in nine patients, four suffering from EBV-driven lymphoproliferative disease (LPD) (two CNS and one lung) and one with EBV-driven HLH. Four patients had severe chickenpox. Five patients presented with chronic diarrhea. Four patients with EBV-driven LPD received rituximab and three EBV-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) (two pre-transplant and one post-transplant). The age of the patients at transplant ranged from 15 months to 17 years. The source of stem cells was peripheral blood (PB) in seven patients, bone marrow (BM) in three and cord blood (CB) in one. Eight received matched (10/10) donor stem cells, two had 1/10 mismatches and one received a haploidentical 6/10 transplant from his father as there were no suitable matched donor (Table 2). All but one received conditioning with fludarabine in combination with treosulfan (n=3), melphalan (n=4), treosulfan and thiotepa (n=1, the non-reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) protocol) or low dose busulfan (n=2)3 one received treosulfan and cyclophosphamide. All but one patient received serotherapy with alemtuzumab (n=8) or anti T cell globulin (ATG) (n=2). CD34+ cell dose ranged from 0.4 - 16.1 x 106/kg. Neutrophil engraftment (≥0.5 x 109 51 /L) occurred between day 11- 23 post-transplant. Ten had 100% CD3 donor engraftment and one had 76% in last follow up. Eight patients are alive with post-HSCT follow-up of 8 months to 22 years. All surviving patients have discontinued immunosuppression and six are off immunoglobulin replacement therapy. Patient 4 died 76 days post-HSCT following EBV CNS reactivation leading to obstructive hydrocephalus. She was treated with external ventricular drainage and three doses of 2 x 106 55 EBV-CTLs but died of multi-organ failure 4 56 . Patient 7 developed intractable gut inflammation due to a combination of adenovirus and CMV colitis and chronic graft versus host disease (cGvHD) and died at day +290 despite treatment with ganciclovir and cidofovir for the viral infections and corticosteroids, ciclosporin, tacrolimus and infliximab as anti-inflammatory drugs. Patient 8 developed mild acute skin GvHD post-transplant, but later suffered from intractable chronic skin GvHD (but no gut or liver disease) unresponsive to corticosteroids and extracorporeal photophoresis. Twelve months post-transplantation he developed a tremor and altered mental state progressing to coma and died 15 months post-transplant. Brain biopsy and magnetic resonance (MR) scan performed prior to death were indicative of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), although no JC, BK or astrovirus were isolated from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or brain tissue. CTPS1 deficiency is a serious life-limiting immunodeficiency with a high risk of death from VZV and EBV in the first decade of life. Seven (41%) of 17 patients worldwide with CTPS1 deficiency have died, three post and four prior to HSCT (one from fulminant VZV and the other three from fulminant EBV LPD). These deaths were prior to clinical availability of rituximab. However, mild clinical phenotype has previously been described. HSCT can be curative but is not without potential risks and complications. Kucuk et al also reported two siblings with this mutation who had successful transplantation. The current report is the largest series of children with CTPS1 deficiency who have undergone HSCT.The overall survival post-HSCT in this series was 72% which is slightly lower than seen after HSCT for other combined PIDs. Pre-transplantation, extra-nodal EBV-driven LPD of the brain and lung as well as fulminant VZV pneumonitis requiring ventilation in intensive care are major risks. The post-transplantation course can be challenging to even the specialist centres because of re-activation of EBV and other herpes viruses, particularly in the brain and gastrointestinal tract, but also because of the risk of unusually severe skin and gut cGvHD, the latter which may be partly fuelled by ongoing underlying low grade chronic viral infection. Both patients that developed fatal GvHD had transplants from 9/10 matched unrelated donors. Viral reactivation can be observed prior to donor T-lymphocyte engraftment post-transplant and perhaps virus-specific CTLs may be helpful in some of these patients. There is no doubt that HSCT can be curative in this condition and we recommend early transplantation before the onset of end-organ damage and for patients without fully matching family or unrelated donors, the consideration of ex-vivo T-cell depletion strategies.

We previously published results for 70 children who received conditioning with treosulfan and cyclophosphamide (n = 30) or fludarabine (n = 40) before undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for primary immunodeficiency (PID). Toxicity was lower and T cell chimerism was better in the patients receiving fludarabine, but cohort numbers were relatively small and follow-up was short. Here we report outcomes of 160 children who received homogeneous conditioning with treosulfan, fludarabine, and, in most cases, alemtuzumab (n = 124). The median age at transplantation was 1.36 years (range, .09 to 18.25 years). Donors included 73 matched unrelated, 54 1 to 3 antigen-mismatched unrelated, 12 matched sibling, 17 other matched family, and 4 haploidentical donors. Stem cell source was peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) in 70, bone marrow in 49, and cord blood in 41. Median duration of follow-up was 4.3 years (range, .8 to 9.4 years). Overall survival was 83%. No patients had veno-occlusive disease. Seventy-four patients (46%) had acute GVHD, but only 14 (9%) greater than grade II. Four patients underwent successful retransplantation for graft loss or poor immune reconstitution. Another patient experienced graft rejection and died. There was no association between T cell chimerism >95% and stem cell source, but a significant association was seen between myeloid chimerism >95% and use of PBSCs without an increased risk of significant GVHD compared with other sources. All 11 patients with severe combined immunodeficiency diagnosed at birth were alive at up to 8.7 years of follow-up. Long-term studies are needed to determine late gonadotoxic effects, and pharmacokinetic studies are needed to identify whether specific targeting is advantageous. The combination of treosulfan, fludarabine, and alemtuzumab is associated with excellent results in HSCT for PID.

Background Proline-serine-threonine phosphatase-interacting protein 1–associated myeloid-related proteinemia inflammatory (PAMI) syndrome is a novel genetic disorder, causing hypercalprotectinemia and hyperzincemia with inflammatory complications accompanied by cytopenia. Immunosuppressive and/or anticytokine therapy is of limited effect. Objectives Because of cytokine production in nonhematopoietic tissues, the potential therapeutic effect of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in autoinflammatory disorders, including PAMI syndrome, has remained uncertain. Methods Five patients with PAMI syndrome underwent allogeneic HSCT with myeloablative (4) or reduced-intensity (1) conditioning regimens. Lack of PAMI disease control served as indication for the HSCT in 4 patients and myelodysplastic syndrome development in 1. Results All 5 patients engrafted; however, 1 patient at day +13 developed hemophagocytic syndrome, followed by graft rejection at day +17. After 5.5 months, a second HSCT was performed from an alternative donor. A further patient at day +116 developed an intense inflammatory syndrome with significant serositis and severe mitral and aortic valve regurgitation, controlled with adalimumab, tacrolimus, and prednisone. No other noninfectious inflammatory episodes, or acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease, occurred in any patient. At the last follow-up (median, 2.2 years), all 5 patients have predominantly or complete donor chimerism and adequate immune recovery and are free of any PAMI symptoms. Conclusions Allogeneic HSCT seems to be an effective option to cure cytopenia and severe autoinflammation in PAMI syndrome and may be a curative option for other proline-serine-threonine phosphatase-interacting protein 1–associated inflammatory disorders with poor therapeutic control.

Background SMARCD2 (SWI/SNF-related, matrix-associated, actin-dependent regulator of chromatin, subfamily D, member 2) has recently been shown to have a critical role in granulopoiesis in humans, mice, and zebrafish. Our patient presented with delayed cord separation, failure to thrive, and sepsis. Retrospective whole-exome sequencing confirmed a homozygous splice-site mutation in SMARCD2. Objective We sought to provide the second description of human SMARCD2 deficiency and the first functional analysis of human primary SMARCD2-deficient cells. Methods Heparinized venous blood and bone marrow were collected from the patient after obtaining informed consent. Patient leukocytes and CD34+ cells were then isolated, phenotyped, and assessed functionally. Results Circulating neutrophils appeared phenotypically immature, lacking multilobed nuclei, and neutrophil granules lacked lactoferrin but showed normal levels of myeloperoxidase. Neutrophil oxidative burst was preserved in response to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Patient bone marrow–derived neutrophils and white blood cells showed a severely impaired chemotactic response. Furthermore, white blood cells showed defective in vitro killing of Staphylococcus aureus, consistent with a specific granule deficiency. Finally, patient bone marrow–derived CD34+ cells showed markedly impaired in vitro expansion and differentiation toward the neutrophil lineage. Before her molecular diagnosis, our patient underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and is well 8 years later. Conclusions This report highlights an important role for SMARCD2 in human myelopoiesis and the curative effect of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for the hematopoietic features of SMARCD2 deficiency.

Background Our centre performed the first ex-vivo T-lymphocyte depleted (TCD) haploidentical allograft in 1987 in a child with PID. Different TCD methods have been used including CAMPATH-1M TCD marrow (n=34), CD34+ selected marrow (CD34-S, n=34), CD3/CD19 TCD PBSC (n=7), and CD3-TCRαβ/CD19 TCD PBSC (αβ-TCD, n=30)). This study aimed to examine transplant outcomes according to different methods in children with PID. Methods Between Jan 1987 and Mar 2019, 105 PID patients underwent first TCD allograft and were included in the study. Thirteen patients who received gene-modified add-back T cells were excluded. The main outcomes of interest were OS, EFS and graft failure. An event was defined as death, graft failure or second procedures for slipping chimerism. Other endpoints were neutrophil engraftment, GvHD, immune reconstitution and donor chimerism. Log-rank test was used to compare OS and EFS according to TCD methods. Cumulative incidences (CI) graft failure was calculated using a competing risk analysis, considering death as a competing event. Multilevel mixed effects modelling was performed for the longitudinal analysis of immune reconstitution and CAMPATH-1M was used as a reference group. Results Donors were haploidentical donor (n=84, 83%), MUD/MFD (n=9, 9%) and MMFD/MMUD (n=8, 8%). 94% received conditioning. Thirteen (12%) patients had aGvHD, of whom 3 had grade III-IV. None had cGvHD. The cause of death changed from predominantly infection (18/25, 72%) in CAMPATH-IM and CD34-S to non-infectious causes in all 6 deaths in CD3/CD19 and αβ-TCD. Analysis by TCD methods revealed a 5-year OS of 58% (95% CI, 40-73%) for CAMPATH-1M, 68% (49-81%) for CD34-S, 69% (22-91%) for CD3/CD19 TCD and 83% (61-93%) for (αβ-TCD (p=0.24). Age was a significant predictor of OS for non-SCID PID (p=0.02). The corresponding EFS was 46% (29-62%) for CAMPATH-1M, 47% (30-62%) for CD34-S, 69% (95% CI, 22-91%) for CD3/CD19 TCD and 83% (61-93%) for αβ-TCD (p=0.04) (Fig 1B) The CI of graft failure reduced significantly, from 29% (14-61%) for CAMPATH-1M, to 19% (95%CI, 8-45%) for CD34-S, 17% (2-18%) for CD3/CD19 TCD and none had graft failure in αβ-TCD (p=0.002) (Figure 1C). CD4+ lymphocytes were significantly higher in CD34-S at months 4 (p=0.02), 5 (p=0.01), and 6 (p=0.006) post-HCT and at month 4 (p=0.04) post-HCT in αβ-TCD when compared to CAMPATH-1M (Fig 1D). The median donor myeloid chimerism at last follow-up was higher in newer TCD; 100% (range, 0-100%) for αβ-TCD, 93% (0-100%) for CD3/CD 19 depletion, 6% (0 -49%) for CD34-S, 20% (0-100%) for CAMPATH-1M (p Conclusions Outcomes after CD3+TCR αβ/CD19+ depletion are superior to previously used TCD methods. In an experienced centre it is a safe alternative procedure and enables a wide spectrum of PID to be transplanted. The result has led to evolution of donor hierarchy in our centre.

MHC class II deficiency is a rare, but life-threatening, primary combined immunodeficiency. Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) remains the only curative treatment for this condition, but transplant survival in the previously published result was poor. We analyzed the outcome of 25 patients with MHC class II deficiency undergoing first HCT at Great North Children's Hospital between 1995 and 2018. Median age at diagnosis was 6.5 months (birth to 7.5 years). Median age at transplant was 21.4 months (0.1-7.8 years). Donors were matched family donors (MFDs; n = 6), unrelated donors (UDs; n = 12), and haploidentical donors (HIDs; n = 7). Peripheral blood stem cells were the stem cell source in 68% of patients. Conditioning was treosulfanbased in 84% of patients; 84% received alemtuzumab (n = 14) or anti-thymocyte globulin (n = 8) as serotherapy. With a 2.9-year median follow-up, OS improved from 33% (46-68%) for HCT before 2008 (n = 6) to 94% (66-99%) for HCT after 2008 (n = 19; P = .003). For HCT after 2008, OS according to donor was 100% for MFDs and UDs and 85% for HIDs (P = .40). None had grade III-IV acute or chronic graft-versus-host disease. Latest median donor myeloid and lymphocyte chimerism were 100% (range, 0-100) and 100% (range, 64-100), respectively. Latest CD4+ T-lymphocyte number was significantly lower in transplant survivors (n = 14) compared with posttransplant disease controls (P = .01). All survivors were off immunoglobulin replacement and had protective vaccine responses to tetanus and Haemophilus influenzae. None had any significant infection or autoimmunity. Changing transplant strategy in Great North Children's Hospital has significantly improved outcomes for MHC class II deficiency.

Background: This retrospective study assessed the use and long-term outcome of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with severe autoimmune diseases (ADs), reported to the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) registry. Methods: Between 1997 and 2014, 128 patients received allogeneic HSCT for various hematological (n = 49) and non-hematological (n = 79) refractory ADs. The median age was 12.7 years (0.2-62.2). Donors were syngeneic for seven, matched related for 46, unrelated for 51, haploidentical for 15, and cord blood for nine patients. Results: The incidence of grades II-IV acute graft-vs.-host disease (GvHD) was 20.8% at 100 days. Cumulative incidence of chronic GvHD was 27.8% at 5-years. Non-relapse mortality (NRM) was 12.7% at 100-days. Overall survival (OS) and Progression-Free Survival (PFS) were 70.2 and 59.4% at 5-years, respectively. By multivariate analysis, age

IntroductionGraves’ disease (Graves’ hyperthyroidism) is a challenging condition for the young person and their family. The excess thyroid hormone generated by autoimmune stimulation of the thyroid stimulating hormone receptor on the thyroid gland can have a profound impact on well-being. Managing the young person with Graves’ hyperthyroidism is more difficult than in older people because the side effects of conventional treatment are more significant in this age group and because the disease tends not to resolve spontaneously in the short to medium term. New immunomodulatory agents are available and the anti-B cell monoclonal antibody rituximab is of particular interest because it targets cells that manufacture the antibodies that stimulate the thyroid gland in Graves’.Methods and analysisThe trial aims to establish whether the combination of a single dose of rituximab (500 mg) and a 12-month course of antithyroid drug (usually carbimazole) can result in a meaningful increase in the proportion of patients in remission at 2 years, the primary endpoint. A single-stage, phase II A’Hern design is used. 27 patients aged 12–20 years with newly presenting Graves’ hyperthyroidism will be recruited. Markers of immune function, including lymphocyte numbers and antibody levels (total and specific), will be collected regularly throughout the trial.DiscussionThe trial will determine whether the immunomodulatory medication, rituximab, will facilitate remission above and beyond that observed with antithyroid drug alone. A meaningful increase in the expected proportion of young patients entering remission when managed according to the trial protocol will justify consideration of a phase III trial.Ethics and dissemination The trial has received a favourable ethical opinion (North East - Tyne and Wear South Research Ethics Committee, reference 16/NE/0253, EudraCT number 2016-000209-35). The results of this trial will be distributed at international endocrine meetings, in the peer-reviewed literature and via patient support groups.Trial registration numberISRCTN20381716.

Item does not contain fulltext Patient registries are instrumental for clinical research in rare diseases. They help to achieve a sufficient sample size for epidemiological and clinical research and to assess the feasibility of clinical trials. The European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) registry currently comprises information on more than 25,000 patients with inborn errors of immunity (IEI). The prerequisite of a patient to be included into the ESID registry is an IEI either defined by a defect in a gene included in the disease classification of the international union of immunological societies, or verified by applying clinical criteria. Because a relevant number of patients, including those with common variable immunodeficiency (CVID), representing the largest group of patients in the registry, remain without a genetic diagnosis, consensus on classification of these patients is mandatory. Here, we present clinical criteria for a large number of IEI that were designed in expert panels with an external review. They were implemented for novel entries and verification of existing data sets from 2014, yielding a substantial refinement. For instance, 8% of adults and 27% of children with CVID (176 of 1704 patients) were reclassified to 22 different immunodeficiencies, illustrating progress in genetics, but also the previous lack of standardized disease definitions. Importantly, apart from registry purposes, the clinical criteria are also helpful to support treatment decisions in the absence of a genetic diagnosis or in patients with variants of unknown significance.

Background Mismatched related and unrelated donor stem cell transplantation is considered a high risk transplant associated with high risk of graft loss, graft versus host disease (GvHD) and transplant related mortality (TRM). Alternative graft manipulation strategies have been employed over the last 10 years to reduce these risks, and here we present an analysis of these strategies in primary immunodeficiency (PID). Methods Between 2006–2017, 147 PID patients received 155 mismatched grafts; 30 TCRαβ/CD19 depleted, 43 Cord (72% with no serotherapy), 17 CD34 +selection with T cell add-back and 65 unmanipulated bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell grafts. Results The estimated 8 year survival of the entire cohort was 79%, TRM was 21.7% and graft failure rate was 6%. Comparable rates of survival were recorded among different graft manipulation strategies. Post-transplant viral reactivation, aGvHD grades II-IV and chronic GvHD complicated 49.6%, 35% and 15% of the transplants, respectively. The use of TCR αβ/CD19 depletion in this study has reduced the occurrence of grade II-IV aGvHD among mismatched transplants: 40% among CD34+/T cell add-back to 11.5% with TCR αβ/CD19 depleted grafts. The same pattern was seen in terms of cGvHD where none of the recipients of TCR αβ/CD19 depleted grafts had cGvHD compared to 38.4% amongst CD34+/T cell add-back. However, one drawback of TCR αβ/CD19 depleted HSCT was the increased incidence of post-transplant viraemia reaching 70% versus 37%–49% among other graft manipulations. T cell immune reconstitution was robust among cord transplants however with a high incidence of aGvHD grade II-IV 56.7%. Stable full donor engraftment was significantly higher at 80% among TCRαβ+/CD19 +depleted and cord transplants versus 40%–60% among the other groups. Conclusions Rapidly accessible cord and haploidentical grafts are suitable alternatives for patients with no HLA matched donor. Cord transplantation without serotherapy and TCRαβ+/CD19 +depleted grafts produced comparable survival rates of around 80% and exhibited higher donor chimerism compared to other strategies of graft manipulation.

Bacterial sepsis led to multiorgan failure in persons receiving immunosuppressive and antiinflammatory drugs., Severe infections are emerging as major risk factors for death among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). In particular, children with refractory JIA treated with long-term, multiple, and often combined immunosuppressive and antiinflammatory agents, including the new biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), are at increased risk for severe infections and death. We investigated 4 persons with JIA who died during 1994–2013, three of overwhelming central venous catheter–related bacterial sepsis caused by coagulase-negative Staphylococus or α-hemolytic Streptococcus infection and 1 of disseminated adenovirus and Epstein-Barr virus infection). All 4 had active JIA refractory to long-term therapy with multiple and combined conventional and biological DMARDs. Two died while receiving high-dose systemic corticosteroids, methotrexate, and after recent exposure to anti–tumor necrosis factor-α biological DMARDs, and 2 during hematopoietic stem cell transplantation procedure. Reporting all cases of severe infections and especially deaths in these children is of paramount importance for accurate surveillance.

Loss-of-function mutations of the Autoimmune Regulator (AIRE) gene results in organ-specific autoimmunity and disease Autoimmune Polyendocrinopathy type 1 (APS1)/Autoimmune Polyendocrinopathy Candidiasis Ectodermal Dystrophy (APECED). The AIRE protein is crucial in the induction of central tolerance, promoting ectopic expression of tissue-specific antigens in medullary thymic epithelial cells and enabling removal of self-reactive T-cells. AIRE expression has recently been detected in myeloid dendritic cells (DC), suggesting AIRE may have a significant role in peripheral tolerance. DC stimulation of T-cells is critical in determining the initiation or lack of an immune response, depending on the pattern of costimulation and cytokine production by DCs, defining immunogenic/inflammatory (inflDC) and tolerogenic (tolDC) DC. In AIRE-deficient patients and healthy controls, we validated the role of AIRE in the generation and function of monocyte-derived inflDC and tolDCs by determining mRNA and protein expression of AIRE and comparing activation markers (HLA-DR/DP/DQ,CD83,CD86,CD274(PDL-1),TLR-2), cytokine production (IL-12p70,IL-10,IL-6,TNF-α,IFN-γ) and T-cell stimulatory capacity (mixed lymphocyte reaction) of AIRE+ and AIRE- DCs. We show for the first time that: (1) tolDCs from healthy individuals express AIRE; (2) AIRE expression is not significantly higher in tolDC compared to inflDC; (3) tolDC can be generated from APECED patient monocytes and (4) tolDCs lacking AIRE retain the same phenotype and reduced T-cell stimulatory function. Our findings suggest that AIRE does not have a role in the induction and function of monocyte-derived tolerogenic DC in humans, but these findings do not exclude a role for AIRE in peripheral tolerance mediated by other cell types.

PURPOSE\ud \ud To investigate the clinical and functional aspects of MST1 (STK4) deficiency in a profoundly CD4-lymphopenic kindred with a novel homozygous nonsense mutation in STK4. Although recent studies have described the cellular effects of murine Mst1 deficiency, the phenotype of MST1-deficient human lymphocytes has yet to be fully explored. Patient lymphocytes were therefore investigated in the context of current knowledge of murine Mst1 deficiency.\ud \ud METHODS\ud \ud Genetic etiology was identified by whole exome sequencing of genomic DNA from two siblings, combined with linkage analysis in the wider family. MST1 protein expression was assessed by immunoblotting. The ability of patient lymphocytes to adhere to ICAM-1 under flow conditions was measured, and transwell assays were used to assess chemotaxis. Chemokine receptor expression was examined by flow cytometry and receptor signalling by immunoblotting.\ud \ud RESULTS\ud \ud A homozygous nonsense mutation in STK4 (c.442C > T, p.Arg148Stop) was found in the patients, leading to a lack of MST1 protein expression. Patient leukocytes exhibited deficient chemotaxis after stimulation with CXCL11, despite preserved expression of CXCR3. Patient lymphocytes were also unable to bind effectively to immobilised ICAM-1 under flow conditions, in keeping with a failure to develop high affinity binding.\ud \ud CONCLUSION\ud \ud The observed abnormalities of adhesion and migration imply a profound trafficking defect among human MST1-deficient lymphocytes. By analogy with murine Mst1 deficiency and other defects of leucocyte trafficking, this is likely to contribute to immunodeficiency by impairing key aspects of T-cell development and function such as positive selection in the thymus, thymic egress and immune synapse formation in the periphery.

Introduction Studies focusing on post-HCT AIC in large cohorts of patients transplanted for primary immunodeficiency (PID) are lacking. Objectives We conducted a retrospective analysis of incidence, risk factors, outcome of post-HCT AIC in children with PID and B-cell function following rituximab treatment. Methods Between January 1987-December 2018, 502 PID patients who underwent first HCT for PID at our center were included. Cumulative incidence (CI) of post-HCT AIC was calculated using a competing risk analysis, considering death as a competing event. Fine-and-Gray test was used to identify risk factors of AIC. The selected variables: gender, age at HCT, indication for HCT (SCID versus non-SCID PID), pre-HCT AIC, donor type, donor-recipient ABO matching, stem cell source, ex-vivo T-cell depletion (TCD), stem cell doses, conditioning regimen, serotherapy, GvHD prophylaxis, acute GvHD, chronic GvHD and viraemia. B-lymphocyte immune reconstitution kinetics was compared between surviving patients with post-HCT AIC without rituximab (n=18), post-HCT treated with rituximab (n=12) and controls (n=24). Results 36 (CI, 9%) developed post-HCT AIC, with median onset at 6.5 months (2.5 months - 18.2 years). On univariate analysis, pre-HCT AIC (Fig. A), mismatched donor, alemtuzumab (Fig. B), ATG, acute GvHD (Fig. C) and chronic GvHD were significantly associated with post-HCT AIC. After multivariate analysis, alemtuzumab (p=0.02) was independently associated with post-HCT AIC. Corticosteroid and high-dose IVIg (2gm/kg) achieved remission in 50% (n=18), additional rituximab led to remission in 25% (n=9), and the remaining 25% were treated with various modalities including sirolimus (n=5), bortezomib (n=3), mycophenolate mofetil (n=2), splenectomy (n=2), and second HCT (n=3). The mortality of post-HCT AIC reduced from 25% (4/16) prior to 2011 to 5% (1/20) after 2011. The median follow-up of 5.8 years (0.4-29.1) showed that 26 of 30 survivors (87%) were in complete remission, 4 (13%) were in remission with sirolimus and low dose steroid. Of 12 survivors who were treated with rituximab, immunoglobulin substitution was discontinued in 7 (52%), and 5 (48%) required on-going IVIg replacement. The median interval between HCT and rituximab was 1.95 years (0.96-19.9) in patients who were IVIg dependent and 0.73 (0.30-2.3) in patients who were IVIg-free on last follow-up (p=0.17). B-lymphocyte immune reconstitution kinetics was significant slowly in patients with post-AIC with/without rituximab (Fig. D). Conclusions 5-year CI of post-HCT AIC in children with PID was 9% and there is risk of very late onset post-HCT AIC in patients with Artemis and RAG1 mutations, and activated PI3 delta syndrome. Alemtuzumab pk study might play a role in reducing the incidence of post-HCT AIC. Sirolimus is an effective steroid-sparing immunomodulator in refractory/frequently relapsing post-HCT AIC.

Humans as models of human disease Mice are a convenient model for exploring the functions of cellular signaling pathways. Occasionally, however, an “experiment of nature” highlights the perils of overreliance on mice. RIPK1 is a well studied protein kinase that regulates cell death. Mice deficient in RIPK1 die soon after birth because of the protein's widespread role in multiple tissues and organs. Cuchet-Lourenço et al. studied patients with inherited immunodeficiency of unknown cause (see the Perspective by Pasparakis and Kelliher). They identified inactivating mutations in the RIPK1 gene in four individuals. Unlike what has been seen in mice, the deleterious effects of RIPK1 loss in humans were confined to the immune system, a finding with potential therapeutic implications. Science , this issue p. 810 ; see also p. 756

Patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) can experience a severe disease course, with progressive destructive polyarthritis refractory to conventional therapy with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs including biologics, as well as life-threatening complications including macrophage activation syndrome (MAS). Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is a potentially curative immunomodulatory strategy for patients with such refractory disease. We treated 16 patients in 5 transplant centers between 2007 and 2016: 11 children with systemic JIA and 5 with rheumatoid factor-negative polyarticular JIA; all were either refractory to standard therapy, had developed secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis/MAS poorly responsive to treatment, or had failed autologous HSCT. All children received reduced toxicity fludarabine-based conditioning regimens and serotherapy with alemtuzumab. Fourteen of 16 patients are alive with a median follow-up of 29 months (range, 2.8-96 months). All patients had hematological recovery. Three patients had grade II-IV acute graft-versus-host disease. The incidence of viral infections after HSCT was high, likely due to the use of alemtuzumab in already heavily immunosuppressed patients. All patients had significant improvement of arthritis, resolution of MAS, and improved quality of life early following allo-HSCT; most importantly, 11 children achieved complete drug-free remission at the last follow-up. Allo-HSCT using alemtuzumab and reduced toxicity conditioning is a promising therapeutic option for patients with JIA refractory to conventional therapy and/or complicated by MAS. Long-term follow-up is required to ascertain whether disease control following HSCT continues indefinitely.

Treatment of the autoimmune and immune-dysregulatory features of patients with STAT1 GOF or STAT3 GOF disease remains challenging. Jakinibs have been used to treat the severe immune-dysregulation in patients with either STAT1 GOF or STAT3 GOF mutations.

RIPK1 (receptor-interacting serine/threonine kinase 1) is a master regulator of signaling pathways leading to inflammation and cell death and is of medical interest as a drug target. We report four patients from three unrelated families with complete RIPK1 deficiency caused by rare homozygous mutations. The patients suffered from recurrent infections, early-onset inflammatory bowel disease, and progressive polyarthritis. They had immunodeficiency with lymphopenia and altered production of various cytokines revealed by whole-blood assays. In vitro, RIPK1-deficient cells showed impaired mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and cytokine secretion and were prone to necroptosis. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation reversed cytokine production defects and resolved clinical symptoms in one patient. Thus, RIPK1 plays a critical role in the human immune system.

Çalışmada 35 yazar bulunmaktadır. Bu yazarlardan sadece Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi mensuplarının girişleri yapılmıştır. Background: Gain-of-function (GOF) mutations in signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) cause susceptibility to a range of infections, autoimmunity, immune dysregulation, and combined immunodeficiency. Disease manifestations can be mild or severe and life-threatening. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has been used in some patients with more severe symptoms to treat and cure the disorder. However, the outcome of HSCT for this disorder is not well established. Objective: We sought to aggregate the worldwide experience of HSCT in patients with GOF-STAT1 mutations and to assess outcomes, including donor engraftment, overall survival, graft-versus-host disease, and transplant-related complications. Methods: Data were collected from an international cohort of 15 patients with GOF-STAT1 mutations who had undergone HSCT-using a variety of conditioning regimens and donor sources. Retrospective data collection allowed the outcome of transplantation to be assessed. In vitro functional testing was performed to confirm that each of the identified STAT1 variants was in fact a GOF mutation. Results: Primary donor engraftment in this cohort of 15 patients with GOF-STAT1 mutations was 74%, and overall survival was only 40%. Secondary graft failure was common (50%), and posttransplantation event-free survival was poor (10% by 100 days). Asubset of patients had hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis before transplant, contributing to their poor outcomes. Conclusion: Our data indicate that HSCT for patients with GOF-STAT1 mutations is curative but has significant risk of secondary graft failure and death. United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health(NIH) - USA (R13 AI094943) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT) Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (16H05355) Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) Jeffrey Modell Foundation United States Department of Health & Human Services National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA NIH National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases (NIAID) (R13AI094943) ReumaFonds (LLP-10)

OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a diagnostic score that assists in discriminating primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (pHLH) from macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) related to systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. STUDY DESIGN: The clinical, laboratory, and histopathologic features of 362 patients with MAS and 258 patients with pHLH were collected in a multinational collaborative study. Eighty percent of the population was assessed to develop the score and the remaining 20% constituted the validation sample. Variables that entered the best fitted model of logistic regression were assigned a score, based on their statistical weight. The MAS/HLH (MH) score was made up with the individual scores of selected variables. The cutoff in the MH score that discriminated pHLH from MAS best was calculated by means of receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. Score performance was examined in both developmental and validation samples. RESULTS: Six variables composed the MH score: age at onset, neutrophil count, fibrinogen, splenomegaly, platelet count, and hemoglobin. The MH score ranged from 0 to 123, and its median value was 97 (1st-3rd quartile 75-123) and 12 (1st-3rd quartile 11-34) in pHLH and MAS, respectively. The probability of a diagnosis of pHLH ranged from 99% for a score of =123. A cutoff value of =60 revealed the best performance in discriminating pHLH from MAS. CONCLUSION: The MH score is a powerful tool that may aid practitioners to identify patients who are more likely to have pHLH and, thus, could be prioritized for functional and genetic testing.

International audience; X-linked recessive ectodermal dysplasia with immunodeficiency is a rare primary immunodeficiency caused by hypomorphic mutations of the gene encoding the nuclear factor κB essential modulator (NEMO) protein. This condition displays enormous allelic, immunological, and clinical heterogeneity, and therapeutic decisions are difficult because NEMO operates in both hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is potentially life-saving, but the small number of case reports available suggests it has been reserved for only the most severe cases. Here, we report the health status before HSCT, transplantation outcome, and clinical follow-up for a series of 29 patients from unrelated kindreds from 11 countries. Between them, these patients carry 23 different hypomorphic mutations. HSCT was performed from HLA-identical related donors (n = 7), HLA-matched unrelated donors (n = 12), HLA-mismatched unrelated donors (n = 8), and HLA-haploidentical related donors (n = 2). Engraftment was documented in 24 patients, and graft-versus-host disease in 13 patients. Up to 7 patients died 0.2 to 12 months after HSCT. The global survival rate after HSCT among NEMO-deficient children was 74% at a median follow-up after HSCT of 57 months (range, 4-108 months). Preexisting mycobacterial infection and colitis were associated with poor HSCT outcome. The underlying mutation does not appear to have any influence, as patients with the same mutation had different outcomes. Transplantation did not appear to cure colitis, possibly as a result of cell-intrinsic disorders of the epithelial barrier. Overall, HSCT can cure most clinical features of patients with a variety of mutations.

Purpose We aimed to achieve a retrospective molecular diagnosis by applying state-of-the-art genomic sequencing methods to past patients with T-B+NK+ severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). We included identification of copy number variations (CNVs) by whole exome sequencing (WES) using the CNV calling method ExomeDepth to detect gene alterations for which routine Sanger sequencing analysis is not suitable, such as large heterozygous deletions. Methods Of a total of 12 undiagnosed patients with T-B+NK+ SCID, we analyzed eight probands by WES, using GATK to detect single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and small insertions and deletions (INDELs) and ExomeDepth to detect CNVs. Results We found heterozygous single- or multi-exon deletions in IL7R, a known disease gene for autosomal recessive T-B+NK+ SCID, in four families (seven patients). In three families (five patients), these deletions coexisted with a heterozygous splice site or nonsense mutation elsewhere in the same gene, consistent with compound heterozygosity. In our cohort, about a quarter of T-B+NK+ SCID patients (26%) had such compound heterozygous IL7R deletions. Conclusions We show that heterozygous IL7R exon deletions are common in T-B+NK+ SCID and are detectable by WES. They should be considered if Sanger sequencing fails to detect homozygous or compound heterozygous IL7R SNVs or INDELs. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10875-016-0343-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.