Spots Global Cancer Trial Database for Immune Profiles in Myasthenia Gravis

Study Description

Brief Summary: The investigators aim to better describe the immune profile in myasthenia gravis (MG), including lymphocyte subset, cytokine and complement profiles; how they differ between patients of different severity, at times of disease exacerbation, and with different immunosuppressive treatments. The investigators hope to build a clearer picture of how different immune measures vary in MG, contributing to the understanding of the patho\[physiology of the disease, and working towards a biomarker that might help clinicians optimise an individual's treatment. the investigators aim to take into account the heterogeneity of MG by taking into account age of onset of MG (early vs late onset) and focussing on acetylcholine receptor antibody (AChR) positive, non-thymomatous MG aged 18-80.

Detailed Description: This study is designed to confirm and refine the knowledge around these changes in the immune profile, including lymphocyte subsets, and complement analysis, between different subgroups of patients with MG of different severity, different levels of immunosuppressive treatment, and at different time points in the disease course, ensuring these are put into the context of the patient's disease subtype (late-onset (LOMG) vs early-onset (EOMG)). This should enable us to understand more about the underlying immune changes in MG, how they relate to disease activity or severity, how this is impacted upon by immunosuppression, and guide us towards a markers for disease severity and effective immunosuppression that could be used in clinical practice, and help guide treatment decisions. One of the challenges in studying patients with MG with the relatively low prevalence of the condition, meaning it can be difficult to recruit large enough numbers of patients; the investigators will work with other tertiary neurology centres throughout England in order to meet recruitment targets. The research project will consist of three work streams: 1. A one-off observational comparison of the immune profile of patients with different MG severity and in comparison to healthy controls. 2. A prospective observational study examining changes in lymphocyte subset, cytokine and complement profiles associated with clinical exacerbation of myasthenia gravis. 3. A prospective cohort study comparing lymphocyte subset, cytokine and complement profile with disease activity following B cell depletion for refractory myasthenia gravis.

Keywords

Eligibility

Minimum Age: 18 Years

Eligible Ages: ADULT, OLDER_ADULT

Sex: ALL

Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Locations

Contact Details

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