Publications by authors named "Mariona Pascal"

: BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) reactivation is a common complication after kidney transplantation and may result in nephropathy and graft loss. As there is no effective antiviral therapy, management focuses on early detection and reduction of immunosuppression, which increases the risk of rejection. Identifying patients at higher risk remains challenging.

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AllergoOncology explores the intersection of allergic diseases and cancer, focusing on shared immune mechanisms. While monocytes and macrophages are extensively studied in cancer, their roles in allergic diseases remain underexplored. To address this gap, we conducted a scoping review to systematically characterize the molecular landscape and related pathways of human monocytes and macrophages in allergy.

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Unlabelled: Multiple myeloma remains incurable despite advances in immunotherapies like chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. This study investigates the role of metabolites and gut microbiota in clinical outcomes in patients treated with the humanized B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-directed CAR-T therapy ARI0002h. Stool metabolites, particularly succinate, were associated with CAR T-cell phenotypes and persistence in patients.

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Background: Limited evidence indicates that baked milk (BM) intake accelerates cow's milk allergy (CMA) resolution or modulates immunity in BM tolerant (BMT) and BM-allergic (BMA) phenotypes.

Objective: This study evaluates the efficacy, safety, and immunological effects of BM introduction, focusing on regular intake in BMT and low-dose intake in BMA, and their impact on tolerance development.

Methods: A prospective study including children 12 to 72 months of age with an oral food challenge (OFC) confirmed CMA.

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The basophil activation test (BAT) is gaining increasing relevance as an ex vivo functional assay in allergy to evaluate IgE-mediated hypersensitivity reactions to food allergens, venoms, and drugs and to monitor tolerance induction. Establishing universal standard operating protocols has been difficult, due to several challenges including variable activation markers, positive control selection, the need for processing fresh blood samples, and the existence of non-releasing individuals. In oncology, BAT is also an emerging promising diagnostic and management tool to assess hypersensitivity reactions to biologics and chemotherapy agents, monitor drug tolerance in desensitisation, and predict and address the safety of novel anti-cancer IgE-based therapeutics.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Key allergens evaluated include hyaluronidases from honey bee (Api m 2), European paper wasp (Pol d 2), and yellow jackets (Ves v 2.0101 and Ves v 2.0201), with sensitization rates among patients varying significantly.
  • * Results show that individuals primarily sensitized to Api m 2 have minimal cross-reactivity with other venoms, while those sensitized to other allergens may react to Api m 2, emphasizing the importance of identifying the primary allergen for effective
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  • * Researchers explored dual-targeting strategies by combining anti-CD19 and anti-BCMA CAR-T cells to enhance effectiveness, optimizing various co-transduction methods and demonstrating improved targeting of tumor cells with the new approach, ARI0003.
  • * A first-in-human trial (CARTD-BG-01, NCT06097455) has been launched to assess the safety and efficacy of ARI0003, which was manufactured under strict conditions to lower the risk of genotoxicity.
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  • Food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES) is a food allergy mostly affecting infants, characterized by severe vomiting and shock, and its diagnosis can be delayed due to unclear genetic markers.
  • This study analyzed the genomes of 41 FPIES patients, identifying significant genetic variants linked to the syndrome, including genes that may influence immune response and gut health.
  • The results enhance understanding of FPIES' genetic basis and could pave the way for better diagnosis, treatment, and prevention strategies in the future.
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Derived from the myeloid lineage, granulocytes, including basophils, eosinophils, and neutrophils, along with mast cells, play important, often disparate, roles across the allergic disease spectrum. While these cells and their mediators are commonly associated with allergic inflammation, they also exhibit several functions either promoting or restricting tumor growth. In this Position Paper we discuss common granulocyte and mast cell features relating to immunomodulatory functions in allergy and in cancer.

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  • CAR T-cell therapies have improved the detection of M-protein in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM), even when traditional methods fail.
  • Quantitative immunoprecipitation mass spectrometry (QIP-MS) provides highly sensitive measurements of serum M-protein and can identify interferences from monoclonal antibody therapies.
  • QIP-MS showed a high level of agreement with serum immunofixation, but less so with bone marrow-based flow cytometry, and it appears to be a valuable non-invasive tool for monitoring treatment responses in multiple myeloma patients.
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Purpose: B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-chimeric antigen receptor T-cells (CART) improve results obtained with conventional therapy in the treatment of relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma. However, the high demand and expensive costs associated with CART therapy might prove unsustainable for health systems. Academic CARTs could potentially overcome these issues.

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Epidemiological studies have explored the relationship between allergic diseases and cancer risk or prognosis in AllergoOncology. Some studies suggest an inverse association, but uncertainties remain, including in IgE-mediated diseases and glioma. Allergic disease stems from a Th2-biased immune response to allergens in predisposed atopic individuals.

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The aim of the present study was to determine humoral and T-cell responses after four doses of mRNA-1273 vaccine in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, and to study predictors of immunogenicity, including the role of previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in immunity. Secondarily, safety was also assessed. Liver, heart, and kidney transplant recipients eligible for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination from three different institutions in Barcelona, Spain were included.

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Varnimcabtagene autoleucel (var-cel) is an academic anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) product used for the treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in the CART19-BE-01 trial. Here we report updated outcomes of patients with NHL treated with var-cel. B-cell recovery was compared with patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL).

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Background: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a promising option for patients with heavily treated multiple myeloma. Point-of-care manufacturing can increase the availability of these treatments worldwide. We aimed to assess the safety and activity of ARI0002h, a BCMA-targeted CAR T-cell therapy developed by academia, in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

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Scope: LTP-syndrome is characterized by sensitization (IgE) to multiple non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) with a variable clinical outcome. The treatment is primarily based on offending food avoidance. However, the determination of Pru p 3-specific IgE is currently the main diagnostic tool to assess sensitization to nsLTPs.

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Background: Humoral and cellular immune responses are known to be crucial for patients to recover from COVID-19 and to protect them against SARS-CoV-2 reinfection once infected or vaccinated.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate humoral and T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with autoimmune diseases after the second and third vaccine doses while on rituximab and their potential protective role against reinfection.

Methods: Ten COVID-19-naïve patients were included.

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Background: Chronic urticaria (CU) is defined as the occurrence of wheals/angioedema for ≥6 consecutive weeks. Until now, guidelines and publications addressing CU have focused mainly on adults. As a result, evidence and guidance in the pediatric population are scarce.

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Purpose: To describe SARS-CoV-2 infection outcome in unvaccinated children and young adults with inborn errors of immunity (IEI) and to compare their specific acute and long-term immune responses with a sex-, age-, and severity-matched healthy population (HC).

Methods: Unvaccinated IEI patients up to 22 years old infected with SARS-CoV-2 were recruited along with a cohort of HC. SARS-CoV-2 serology and ELISpot were performed in the acute phase of infection (up to 6 weeks) and at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months.

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Selective immunoglobulin E deficiency (SIgED) is still an unrecognised primary immunodeficiency despite several observations supporting its existence. This study aimed to describe the skin manifestations associated with SIgED. We retrospectively assessed medical records of patients with SIgED, the diagnosis being based on serum IgE levels ≤2 Uk/L associated with normal serum levels of immunoglobulins G, M, and A.

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Unlabelled: In kidney transplant recipients, there is discordance between the development of cellular and humoral response after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. We sought to determine the interplay between the 2 arms of adaptive immunity in a 3-dose course of mRNA-1273 100 μg vaccine.

Methods: Humoral (IgG/IgM) and cellular (N- and S-ELISpot) responses were studied in 117 kidney and 12 kidney-pancreas transplant recipients at the following time points: before the first dose, 14 d after the second dose' and before and after the third dose, with a median of 203 and 232 d after the start of the vaccination cycle, respectively.

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Chimeric antigen receptor T-cells targeting the CD19 antigen have achieved impressive results in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) B-cell malignancies, leading to their approval in the European Union and other jurisdictions. In Spain, the 100% academic anti-CD19 CART-cell product varnimcabtagene autoleucel (var-cel, ARI-0001 cells) has been extraordinarily approved under the Hospital Exemption clause for the treatment of patients older than 25 years of age with R/R acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Var-cel has also been granted PRIority MEdicines designation by the European Medicines Agency for the same indication.

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Identification of new markers associated with long-term efficacy in patients treated with CAR T cells is a current medical need, particularly in diseases such as multiple myeloma. In this study, we address the impact of CAR density on the functionality of BCMA CAR T cells. Functional and transcriptional studies demonstrate that CAR T cells with high expression of the CAR construct show an increased tonic signaling with up-regulation of exhaustion markers and increased in vitro cytotoxicity but a decrease in in vivo BM infiltration.

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