The Use of B-Cell Depletion Therapy (BCDT) in Gulf War Illness: A Phase 1/2 Study
Abstract
Gulf War Illness (GWI) (also known as Gulf War Syndrome) is a chronic multi-symptom illness that has been implicated in as many as one-third of the 700,000 U.S. troops deployed to the Middle East during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Despite the time, expense, and effort, the cause of GWI remains relatively unknown and treatments have been targeted at improving symptoms. Veterans with GWI are still plagued by multiple symptoms including problems with fatigue, headaches, joint and muscle pain, gastrointestinal and sleep disturbances, neurologic and neuropsychological symptoms, respiratory issues, and cardiovascular problems. These symptoms are burdensome, impacting the patients ability to work and care for themselves and loved ones, and impacting activities of daily living as well as quality of life. While treatment remains focused on symptom improvement, there have been significant advances in gaining insight into potential biologic mechanisms that cause persistence of this disabling illness. Biomarkers have been discovered that may play a role in the onset and progression of the disease, such as markers of inflammation and immune dysfunction, an immune signature that is similar to that seen in autoantibody mediated illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and myasthenia gravis. Specifically, the immune signature would favor the production of autoantibodies, a theory Dr. Abou-Donia pursued in animal models of GWI, and most recently has demonstrated in the serum of GWI subjects. Our current research efforts using a computational biology model have identified immune function, specifically autoantibody production, as a reasonable GWI target.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1097063
Entities
People
- Abu Donia
- Amanpreet Cheema
- Nancy G. Klimas
Organizations
- Nova Southeastern University