Risky business of inhibitors: HLA haplotypes, gene polymorphisms, and immune responses

Abstract

The development of neutralizing antibodies against factor VIII (FVIII inhibitors) and factor IX (FIX inhibitors) is the major complication in hemophilia care today. The antibodies neutralize the biological activity of FVIII and FIX and render replacement therapies ineffective. Antibodies are generated as a result of a cascade of tightly regulated interactions between different cells of the innate and the adaptive immune system located in distinct compartments. Any event that modulates the repertoire of specific B or T cells, the activation state of the innate and adaptive immune system, or the migration pattern of immune cells will therefore potentially influence the risk for patients to develop inhibitors. This chapter reviews our current understanding of different pathways of antibody development that result in different qualities of antibodies. Potential differences in differentiation pathways leading to high-affinity neutralizing or low-affinity non-neutralizing antibodies and the potential influence of gene polymorphisms such as HLA haplotype, FVIII haplotype, and polymorphisms of immunoregulatory genes are discussed.