Clinical Research Directory

New Therapeutic Target for Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) Using Anti-CD38+ Monoclonal Antibodies.

Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are rare diseases that are dermatologic emergencies characterized by widespread epidermal necrosis and sloughing of skin. A hundred patients are affected each year in France. The main symptom is bullous and skin detachment \> 10% which gradually progresses to extensive necrosis of the 100% BSA epidermis. The mortality rate is around 15-20% due to visceral inflammatory injuries and serious bacterial infections. The morbidity is also very important (92% at 1 year), especially ophthalmologic with high risk of blindness. There is currently no effective treatment. Our team recently demonstrated that the severity of the disease correlates with the quantity and quality of CD8+ T lymphocytes which are activated in the active phase of disease. An activation marker has been identified, the CD38 receptor, which is very strongly expressed on the T clones responsible for the disease in the skin or blood of patients The CD38 receptor is the target of several commercial therapeutic antibodies, including DARATUMUMAB, which is currently used for the treatment of myeloma. DARATUMUMAB is a depleting antibody that eliminates cells strongly expressing this receptor. The hypothesis is that a single intravenous infusion of DARATUMUMAB upon hospital admission of a patient with drug-induced NET would eliminate pathogenic T cells, thereby slowing disease progression, severity (% BSA with skin detachment, mortality rate) and sequelae.

LYell SYndrome MEsenchymal Stromal Cells Treatment

Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) are rare severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs) to drugs. To date, no curative drug has demonstrated with a good level of evidence its ability to promote SJS and TEN healing and could contribute to earlier reepithelialisation. Mesenchymal stroma cells (MSCs) therapy represents a new therapeutic approach. eg, in patients with cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, renal transplantation, lung diseases as acute respiratory distress syndrome. Recently, MSCs have been proposed in both burn wound healing with a significantly decrease of the unhealed burn area and in cutaneous radiation. Moreover, MSCs have immunomodulation properties potentially effective in refractory acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD) by improving thymic function and induction of Tregs. Indeed, MSCs are able to migrate to inflamed tissues after stimulation by pro-inflammatory cytokines and to modulate the local inflammatory reactions. MSCs have also demonstrated their ability to promote tissue remodelling, angiogenesis and immunomodulation through either differentiation or secretion of several growth factors such as VEGF, basic FGF and various cytokines. Therefore, combining their immunomodulation effect and secretion of soluble factors involved in wound repair, MSCs might be valuable as a cell therapy strategy for promoting cutaneous healing in SJS-TEN syndrome and subsequently decrease the morbi-mortality.

Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of Methylprednisolone Combined With the JAK Inhibitors in the Treatment of Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of methylprednisolone combined with the JAK inhibitor abxitinib and tofacitinib in the treatment of toxic epidermal necrolysis