title: Inebilizumab, a B Cell-Depleting Anti-CD19 Antibody for the Treatment of Autoimmune Neurological Diseases: Insights from Preclinical Studies.
abstract: Exaggerated or inappropriate responses by B cells are an important feature in many types of autoimmune neurological diseases. The recent success of B-cell depletion in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) has stimulated the development of novel B-cell-targeting therapies with the potential for improved efficacy. CD19 has emerged as a promising target for the depletion of B cells as well as CD19-positive plasmablasts and plasma cells. Inebilizumab (MEDI-551), an anti-CD19 antibody with enhanced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity against B cells, is currently being evaluated in MS and neuromyelitis optica. This review discusses the role of B cells in autoimmune neurological disorders, summarizes the development of inebilizumab, and analyzes the recent results for inebilizumab treatment in an autoimmune encephalitis mouse model. The novel insights obtained from these preclinical studies can potentially guide future investigation of inebilizumab in patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA. ding.chen@ustouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Ding
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Project Management, MedImmune, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA. gallaghers@medimmune.com.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA. nancy.monson@utsouthwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Nancy L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Monson
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology Research, MedImmune, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA. herbstro@medimmune.com.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herbst
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology Research, MedImmune, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA. wangy@medimmune.com.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
keywords: B-cell depletion; CD19; autoimmunity; multiple sclerosis; neuromyelitis optica