{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "42a06b57f2794dd2aee6fd5ea2635a21", "timestamp": "2026-09-23T21:36:19.675Z", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/42a06b57f2794dd2aee6fd5ea2635a21.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications-affiliated.scilifelab.se/publication/42a06b57f2794dd2aee6fd5ea2635a21"}}, "title": "Development of humoral and cellular immunological memory against SARS-CoV-2 despite B cell depleting treatment in multiple sclerosis.", "authors": [{"family": "Asplund H\u00f6gelin", "given": "Klara", "initials": "K"}, {"family": "Ruffin", "given": "Nicolas", "initials": "N"}, {"family": "Pin", "given": "Elisa", "initials": "E"}, {"family": "M\u00e5nberg", "given": "Anna", "initials": "A"}, {"family": "Hober", "given": "Sophia", "initials": "S"}, {"family": "Gafvelin", "given": "Guro", "initials": "G"}, {"family": "Gr\u00f6nlund", "given": "Hans", "initials": "H"}, {"family": "Nilsson", "given": "Peter", "initials": "P"}, {"family": "Khademi", "given": "Mohsen", "initials": "M"}, {"family": "Olsson", "given": "Tomas", "initials": "T"}, {"family": "Piehl", "given": "Fredrik", "initials": "F"}, {"family": "Al Nimer", "given": "Faiez", "initials": "F"}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2021-09-24", "journal": {"title": "iScience", "issn": "2589-0042", "volume": "24", "issue": "9", "pages": "103078", "issn-l": null}, "abstract": "B cell depleting therapies (BCDTs) are widely used as immunomodulating agents for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Their possible impact on development of immunity to severe acute respiratory syndrome virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has raised concerns with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We here evaluated the frequency of COVID-19-like symptoms and determined immunological responses in participants of an observational trial comprising several multiple sclerosis disease modulatory drugs (COMBAT-MS; NCT03193866) and in eleven patients after vaccination, with a focus on BCDT. Almost all seropositive and 17.9% of seronegative patients on BCDT, enriched for a history of COVID-19-like symptoms, developed anti-SARS-CoV-2 T cell memory, and T cells displayed functional similarity to controls producing IFN-\u03b3 and TNF. Following vaccination, vaccine-specific humoral memory was impaired, while all patients developed a specific T cell response. These results indicate that BCDTs do not abrogate SARS-CoV-2 cellular memory and provide a possible explanation as to why the majority of patients on BCDTs recover from COVID-19.", "doi": "10.1016/j.isci.2021.103078", "pmid": "34490414", "labels": [], "xrefs": [{"db": "pmc", "key": "PMC8410640"}, {"db": "pii", "key": "S2589-0042(21)01046-4"}], "notes": [], "created": "2026-09-23T08:53:59.941Z", "modified": "2026-09-23T08:53:59.974Z"}