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Scientific report 2020 of the Autoimmune Disease Working Party (ADWP)

Major achievements

Autoimmune diseases (ADs) are a major cause of morbidity. HSCT has evolved for >20 years as a specific treatment of patients with severe ADs, through eradication of the pathologic, immunologic memory and profound immune ‘resetting’.

HSCT for ADs is today facing a unique developmental phase across EBMT, with the ADWP central to bringing together HSCT and disease specialist communities. The ADs section of the EBMT Registry is the largest database of its kind worldwide, reporting more than 3,300 transplants. The ADWP is continuing to expand the evidence-base and support best practice with studies and guidelines, including significant collaborative outputs with other EBMT Working Parties, JACIE, the EBMT Nurses Group and Patient Advocacy Committee.

Education continued to be central to global ADWP activities, despite the global COVID-19 pandemic and its extensive worldwide impact in 2020. The ADWP educational meeting was a unique event, being the first virtual and the most successful meeting of the working party, with 230 attendees from 36 countries, attracting haematologists, ADs experts and nurses. In addition, we continued to build closer links with partners outside EBMT, particularly in the Americas and Russia.

‘Implementation science’ remains central to delivery of HSCT for AD within our health services. The future depends on quality of outcomes and health economics versus non-transplant biological treatments. Strategic priorities for the ADWP include ongoing work with international disease-specialist societies, whilst working closely with others within EBMT and JACIE to assure best practice, clinical quality and patient-centred care in HSCT for ADs.

Principal research studies

  1. MS Comparison of CYC+ATG vs. BEAM+ATG conditioning regimens in autologous HSCT for Multiple Sclerosis. (PI Saccardi).
  2. NISSC II - Post-AHSCT management and mechanistic immunological reconstitution for patients with systemic sclerosis (PI Farge).
  3. Late complications after autologous HSCT for AD: a retrospective survey from the ADWP and TCWP (PI Kirgizov).
  4. Viral reactivations: retrospective study on viral infections post auto-HSCT in Autoimmune Diseases (PI Alexander).
  5. Indications and outcomes of re-transplantation for AD (Co-PIs Polushin/Kirgizov).
  6. Prospective non-interventional on patients with multiple sclerosis (OMST). (PI Saccardi).
  7. Disease-specific retrospective studies of autologous HSCT in:
    1. Immune cytopenias (PI Cooper)
    2. Rare neurological diseases (CIDP, Stiff Person Syndrome, myasthenia gravis, NMO and others, Co-PIs Sharrack/Brittain)
    3. Behçet's Disease (PI Puyade)
    4. Juvenile and adult systemic arthritis/Still’s disease (PI Alexander)
    5. Polymyositis-Dermatomyositis (PI Alexander)
  8. Surveys
    1. Survey of national provision/reimbursement of HSCT and follow up in ADs (PI: Jessop)
  9. Guidelines and recommendations
    1. JACIE-ADWP COVID 19 Guidelines: ‘HSCT for autoimmune diseases in the time of COVID-19: emergency recommendations and preparing for the new normal’ (PI Greco)
    2. HSCT in adult rheumatological autoimmune diseases (ADs): guidelines and recommendations from the EBMT Autoimmune Diseases Working Party (ADWP) in collaboration with European Reference Network (ERN) for rare and complex connective tissue diseases (ERN ReCONNET) (PI Alexander)
    3. Position paper with European Academy of Neurology EAN/ECTRIMS and EBMT (Co-PIs Muraro/Sharrack/Burman)
  10. Prospective long-term follow of studies involving EBMT registry
    1. Harmonisation of long-term follow-up of clinical trials in MS (EBMT involvement TBC, Co-PIs Muraro/Sharrack).

Key publications

Impact factor_(Autoimmune Diseases)

  2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Oral presentations 6 11 10 11 16 10
Poster presentations 1 0 3 5 2 2
International educational events 1 1 1 1 1 1

Major educational courses

  1. ADWP Educational Meeting – Sep 24-25, 2020 / [Virtual].
  2. ADWP Educational Session, EBMT 46th Annual Meeting - Aug 29 – Sep 01, 2020 / [Virtual].
  3. Invited lectures at other international educational events and courses.