The overall goals of the University of Pennsylvania Clinical Autoimmunity Center of Excellence (Penn ACE) are 1) to perform cutting-edge clinical and translational research to advance our understanding of human autoimmunity through Clinical and Collaborative Projects, 2) to encourage the next generation of physician- scientists to pursue clinical and translational research in autoimmunity through Scientific Communications and Mentoring and Enrichment Programs overseen by an Administrative Core, and 3) to provide the financial and regulatory guidance and infrastructure to support collaborative scientific interactions within and between academic institutions nationwide through an ACE Funds Management Core. The clinical and translational research program of the Penn ACE centers around the theme of ?B cells as drivers of autoimmunity?, focusing on three debilitating and potentially life-threatening autoimmune diseases (pemphigus vulgaris (PV), multiple sclerosis (MS), and type 1 diabetes (T1D)) for which prospective randomized clinical trials of anti-CD20-mediated B cell depletion have demonstrated significant clinical benefit. Thus, B cells are key drivers of autoimmunity in these conditions, but risk of serious and potentially fatal infections compromises the utility of chronic B cell depletion as a long-term treatment strategy. Each of the proposed Clinical and Collaborative Projects, as well as the Administrative Core, addresses a key question or barrier to progress in the field. The Primary Clinical Project will execute a phase 1b open-label dose escalation study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and potential efficacy of a novel gene-engineered cellular immunotherapy known as DSG3-CAART to achieve targeted, antigen-specific B cell depletion and lasting disease remission in PV. The Alternate Clinical Project will utilize a prospective randomized trial of ocrelizumab withdrawal in MS to evaluate whether B cell depletion can be safely withdrawn in MS patients without compromising efficacy and will identify potential biomarkers that predict long-term tolerance induction. A Collaborative Project will perform deep phenotyping, immune repertoire analysis, and target antigen discovery for expanded B cell clones in the pancreas, secondary lymphoid organs, and blood of patients with T1D, which may not only identify novel therapeutic strategies for T1D, but also establish a framework for how similar experimental approaches can be used to elucidate the pathophysiology and targets of B cells in a broad range of other autoimmune diseases. Finally, an Administrative Core will implement a scientific communications and mentoring program to foster collaborative research within and beyond the Penn ACE and encourage future generations of physician-scientists to pursue careers in autoimmune disease clinical care and research.
The goal of the University of Pennsylvania Clinical Autoimmunity Center of Excellence (Penn ACE) is to perform collaborative clinical and translational research to further the nationwide ACE research agenda. The Penn ACE program aims to better understand B cells as the critical drivers of autoimmunity in pemphigus vulgaris, multiple sclerosis, and type 1 diabetes and to develop safer and more effective treatment regimens for long-term immune tolerance induction. Ultimately, these strategies may lead to lasting disease remissions for a broad range of autoimmune conditions.
