Home-sampling of B cells using quantitative dried blood spots to enable tailored therapeutic re-dosing of anti-CD20 therapies
Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies are commonly used to manage neuroinflammatory diseases. The rate of B-cell re-emergence after dosing of ocrelizumab or rituximab varies considerably between individuals, but most people remain completely B-cell depleted at 6 months. Tailoring the dosing according to B-cell re-emergence may improve the safety profile of anti-CD20s but poses logistical challenges such as the need for regular attendances for whole-blood sampling. Here we combined a quantitative dried blood spot sampling technique with a DNA methylation test, to provide a reliable means of remotely monitoring B-cell counts, with 100% sensitivity and specificity for reaching >10 × 10<sup>6</sup> cells/L.
Authors
- Emma Tallantyre (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3760-6634)
- Stephen Jolles (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7394-6804)
- E. H. Jacob
- Laura Davies
- Emily Carne
- Stuart J. Moat (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3592-2254)
- Janika Schulze (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0433-2005)
- Kath Bramhall
- Samantha Loveless (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5124-4115)
Institutions
- University Hospital of Wales (GB)
- Cardiff University (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Multiple Sclerosis Journal
- Published
- 2025-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/13524585251330962
- Primary Topic
- Biosimilars and Bioanalytical Methods
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Medical Research Council