AUTHOR=Lambrianides Anastasia , Deeba Elie , Hadjiagapiou Maria , Pantzaris Marios , Krashias George , Christodoulou Christina 

TITLE=SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses following BNT162b2 vaccination in individuals with multiple sclerosis receiving different disease-modifying treatments

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2023.1092999

DOI=10.3389/fneur.2023.1092999

ISSN=1664-2295

ABSTRACT=The study aims to evaluate the concentration of IgG antibodies against the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike1 protein (S1RBD) in BNT162b2- vaccinated relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) individuals receiving disease- modifying treatments (DMTs). Serum from one hundred and twenty-six RRMS volunteers was collected three months after the administration of the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech BNT162b2 vaccine. Additional samples were analysed after the administration of the booster dose in fingolimod- treated MS. Anti-S1RBD IgG antibody concentrations were quantified using the ABBOTT SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant assay. Anti-S1RBD IgG antibody concentrations in RRMS individuals receiving natalizumab, interferons, teriflunomide, and dimethyl fumarate showed no significant difference to those in healthy controls. However, fingolimod- treated MS individuals showed a marked inability to produce SARS-CoV-2- specific antibodies (p<0·0001). Furthermore, a booster dose was not able to elicit the production of IgG antibodies in a large portion of matched individuals. A possible explanation for the altered immune response in fingolimod- treated MS individuals could be due to the medication inhibiting the circulation of lymphocytes, and possibly in turn inhibiting antibody production. Overall, patients on DMTs are generally of no disadvantage towards mounting an immune response against the vaccine. Nevertheless, further studies require evaluating non-humoral immunity against SARS-CoV-2 following vaccination, as well as the suitability of such vaccinations on patients treated with fingolimod.