Preserved Antigen-Specific Immune Response in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis Responding to IFNbeta-Therapy

BACKGROUND: Interferon-beta (IFNbeta) regulates the expression of a complex set of pro- as well as anti-inflammatory genes. In cohorts of MS patients unstratified for therapeutic response to IFNbeta, normal vaccine-specific immune responses have been observed. Data capturing antigen-specific immune responses in cohorts of subjects defined by response to IFNbeta-therapy are not available. OBJECTIVE: To assess antigen-specific immune responses in a cohort of MS patients responding clinically and radiologically to IFNbeta. METHODS: In 26 MS patients, clinical and MRI disease activity were assessed before and under treatment with IFNbeta. Humoral and cellular immune response to influenza vaccine was prospectively characterized in these individuals, and 33 healthy controls by influenza-specific Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and Enzyme Linked Immuno Spot Technique (ELISPOT). RESULTS: Related to pre-treatment disease activity, IFNbeta reduced clinical and radiological MS disease-activity. Following influenza vaccination, frequencies of influenza-specific T cells and concentrations of anti-influenza A and B IgM and IgG increased comparably in MS-patients and in healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: By showing in a cohort of MS-patients responding to IFNbeta vaccine-specific immune responses comparable to controls, this study indicates that antigen-specific immune responses can be preserved under successful IFNbeta-therapy.