Translational Immunotherapy

 A team at LMU Klinikum Munich, including Prof. Marion Subklewe, Dr. Adrian Gottschlich, Prof. Karsten Spiekermann, and Prof. Dr. Dr. Michael von Bergwelt, has achieved a breakthrough in treatment-resistant immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). When both rare autoimmune diseases occur together, patients face a dangerous cycle of severe bleeding and blood clots.

For the first time, the researchers demonstrated that a novel immunotherapy using bispecific antibodies can selectively suppress the autoimmune reaction. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Unlike CAR-T cell therapy, which is complex and requires chemotherapy, the bispecific antibody Blinatumomab recruits the patient’s own T cells to target disease-causing B cells. “This allows us to eliminate the cells producing harmful autoantibodies—without chemotherapy,” explains Prof. Marion Subklewe, head of Immunotherapy at LMU Klinikum. 

Original Publication:

Blinatumomab in Combined Immune Thrombocytopenia and Antiphospholipid Syndrome
Gottschlich A, Bücklein V, El-Marouk V, Kaiser V, Schmid M, Janert TA, Winkelmann M, Ziemann F, Hänel G, Handtke S, Thiele T, Wichmann C, Kobold K, Zugmaier G, Rausch C, Schulze-Koops H, Lindner LH, Spiekermann K#, von Bergwelt-Baildon M & Subklewe M# 
New England Journal of Medicine, 2026 DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2516228
# these authors contributed equally