Scientific report 2023 of the Autoimmune Diseases Working Party (ADWP)

Autoimmune diseases (ADs) are a heterogeneous group of diseases, characterized by loss of immune tolerance, high chronicity, with substantial morbidity and mortality. Over the last 3 decades, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) has been increasingly used to treat patients affected by severe and refractory ADs, and is recently facing a unique developmental phase across EBMT centers. Autologous HCT has become a standard-of-care part of treatment algorithms in multiple sclerosis and systemic sclerosis. Recently, innovative cellular therapies (i.e. CAR-T cells, mesenchymal cells, Tregs-based therapies) have been successfully adopted in ADs.

The EBMT Autoimmune Diseases Working Party (ADWP) has been central to development of these approaches. The ADWP is dedicated to promoting clinical activities, teaching and translational research on HCT together with innovative cellular therapies as AD treatment, to re-induce self-tolerance by resetting the immune system. The ADs section of the EBMT Registry is the largest database of its kind worldwide, with over 4,300 HCT registrations.

A multidisciplinary approach is key in this field, and ADWP is continuing to expand the evidence-base and support best-practice with studies and guidelines, including significant collaborative outputs with EBMT Working-Parties, JACIE, Trainee-Committee, PAC and Nurses-Group. 

Education is central in ADWP activities, including a successful joint Midterm Educational Meeting on ​New indications in Immune Dysregulatory, Autoinflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases, and Harmonization Workshop on innovative cellular therapies for ADs. Moreover, a section specifically designed for ADs was developed within the EBMT e-learning platform with contributions from key experts in the field.