Effect of Ocrelizumab on Brain Innate Immune Microglial Cells Activation in MS Using PET-MRI With 18F-DPA714

Summary

Ocrelizumab is a humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that showed in phase III trials a powerful effect on relapse rate and lesion load accumulation in the relapsing form of multiple sclerosis (RMS). This therapeutic agent also showed for the first time a significant reduction of disability progression in Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (PPMS) patients, whereas all other anti-inflammatory drugs had failed to do so in well-conducted studies. This raises the possibility that ocrelizumab, beyond its effects on the adaptive immune system activation underlying white matter lesions and clinical relapses, could beneficially influence other mechanisms involved in the progressive phase of the disease, such as the innate immune microglial cells activation, that has been described to persist in a diffuse manner in the Central Nervous system (CNS). To date the activation of these cells is not accessible to classical Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) techniques, impeding the full investigation of the therapeutic efficacy of drugs such as ocrelizumab.

Timeline

Start

2018-11-11

Primary completion

2024-05

Completion

2024-09

Drugs

Indications