Multiple sclerosis patients under treatment with interferon β1-a or ocrelizumab exhibit different T and B cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine

IntroductionMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-term autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and progressive degeneration of the central nervous system. Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) have proved to be effective at ameliorating the course of MS.

DMTs are immunomodulatory drugs affecting immune response to SARS-CoV-2 and its vaccine efficacy in MS patients (pwMS).MethodsIn this longitudinal study, we analyzed T and B cell subsets in peripheral blood and the antigen (spike)-specific T cell response in pwMS patients undergoing interferon β1-a (IFN) or ocrelizumab (OCRE), before and after BNT162b2 mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Blood was collected from pwMS treated with IFN and OCRE before and after the two vaccine doses.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were analyzed by flow cytometry to measure T and B cell frequency, the expression of activation/regulatory/memory T cell markers and their spike-specific T cell response.ResultsCD20+ B-cells were decreased in OCRE- compared to IFN- treated pwMS before and after vaccination. CD8+ and CD4+ T cell responses and the immunological memory was comparable between the two groups.

Th17 cells were increased after vaccination only in the OCRE-treated group.