Tailoring Maintenance Therapy to Cluster of Differentiation 5 Positive (CD5+) Regulatory B Cell Recovery in ANCA Vasculitis

Tailoring Maintenance Therapy to CD5+ Regulatory B Cell Recovery in ANCA Vasculitis

ANCA vasculitis is a pauci-immune systemic small vessel vasculitis. The anti-neutrophilic cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are pathogenic and cause disease by activating neutrophils which damage blood vessels. CD means "cluster of differentiation" . CD5 is a type I transmembrane protein found on T cells, thymocytes, and some B cells. Cluster of Differentiation 20 (CD20) is a type III transmembrane protein found on B cells. The investigators previously detected an association between recovery of Interleukin 10 (IL-10)-secreting CD20+ and CD5+ regulatory B cells after immunotherapy (with rituximab and corticosteroids) and decreased risk of subsequent relapse in patients with ANCA-vasculitis. The investigators hypothesize that patients with complete reconstitution of a functional regulatory B cell repertoire after induction therapy are at low risk of relapse and may be monitored conservatively without further immunotherapy. The investigators will test this hypothesis through a proof of concept randomized controlled study. Patients with normalization of CD5+ regulatory B cells will be randomized to maintenance therapy with rituximab vs. close observation without immunosuppression. Patients whose peripheral CD5+ regulatory B cells remain low after induction therapy (who are at higher risk of relapse), will receive maintenance immunosuppression with rituximab. Patients needing or randomized to maintenance therapy who are unable to receive rituximab will receive azathioprine or mycophenolate mofetil, two standard alternative medications for maintenance immunosuppression.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: ANCA Associated Vasculitis
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: ENUMERATION OF CD5+ B Cells

Detailed Description

The goal of this study is to test the hypothesis that, in ANCA vasculitis, use of CD5+ B cells at the time of B cell reconstitution in the peripheral blood can be used to stratify patients between those with low % CD5+ B cells at greater risk of relapse who would need maintenance immunosuppression and those with normalized CD5+ B cells who would be at lower risk of relapse, and therefore may not need maintenance immunosuppression. The latter group will be randomized to either maintenance immunosuppression vs close clinical observation without maintenance immunosuppression. This study is not designed to evaluate the efficacy of new therapies in ANCA vasculitis. The treatment regimen used in the proposed study are routinely used in the treatment of patients with ANCA vasculitis and considered standard-of-care.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 9
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • North Carolina
    • Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States, 27599-7155
      • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Patients 18-85 years old.
• ANCA Glomerulonephritis (GN) or vasculitis per Chapel Hill Consensus Criteria, with documented current or previously positive Myeloperoxidase (MPO)- or Proteinase 3 (PR3)-ANCA by ELISA test. Patients with biopsy-proven, pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis are eligible if they have a positive ANCA test by immunofluorescent microscopy (IIFM).
• Patients must be in complete remission for at least 1 month and after AT LEAST 3 MONTHS of induction of therapy with corticosteroids and rituximab (either 1000 mg IV x 2 or 375 mg/m2 IV x 4) OR corticosteroids and cyclophosphamide (monthly IV or daily oral doses). They must be on no more than 5 mg daily of oral prednisone or equivalent. Complete remission is defined as a Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS) score = 0.
• Patients may be ANCA negative or positive at randomization.
• B cells are not depleted anymore: B cell recovery reaches 1% CD19+ B cells (enough to allow determination of CD5+ B cells with confidence).

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who have had ≥ 2 relapses (defined as recurrence of any signs or symptoms attributable to active vasculitis) previously as patients with multiple prior relapses may be at higher risk of future relapse and require maintenance therapy
• Patients with persistent low-grade disease activity ("grumbling" disease defined as BVAS > 0 and ≤ 3)
• Patients with active systemic infections or deep space infections within the 3 months prior to screening.
• Patients participating in another clinical trial mandating maintenance therapy
• Patients with drug-induced ANCA vasculitis (e.g. levamisole-adulterated cocaine)
• Active tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus or hepatitis B virus infections
• For women of child-bearing potential, pregnancy, breastfeeding, unwillingness or inability to comply with effective contraception
• Inability to come to scheduled visits

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

3

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: high CD5/ on maintenance; Subjects in remission with CD19+CD5+ 43% or greater, randomized to continue on maintenance immunosuppression (Maintenance Therapy Group)	Device: ENUMERATION OF CD5+ B Cells; A blood test is done to assess what percentage of CD5+ is present within CD19+. The result is then used to guide choice of arm.
Experimental: high CD5 / NO maintenance; Subjects in remission with CD19+CD5+ 43% or greater , randomized to NO maintenance immunosuppression (NO Maintenance Therapy Group)	Device: ENUMERATION OF CD5+ B Cells; A blood test is done to assess what percentage of CD5+ is present within CD19+. The result is then used to guide choice of arm.
Active Comparator: low CD5+ /on maintenance; Subjects in remission with Cluster of Differentiation 19 positive (CD19+) CD5+ lower than 43% will continue on maintenance immunosuppression (Maintenance Therapy Group)- no randomization.	Device: ENUMERATION OF CD5+ B Cells; A blood test is done to assess what percentage of CD5+ is present within CD19+. The result is then used to guide choice of arm.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Time to First Relapse	The primary outcome measure is time to first relapse defined as recurrence of any signs or symptoms attributable to active vasculitis after a period of complete remission, with at least 2 minor or 1 major item on the BVAS score (BVAS≥2). Per protocol, complete remission is defined as a BVAS score = 0. Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS, range 0-64). The total score is composed of 34 predefined items, units on a scale, grouped into 9 organ systems. Each item carries a weight from 1-3, depending on disease severity. A score of 0 indicates no disease activity; a higher score indicates worsening disease.	from complete remission to end of study, approximately 2 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of Participants Who Experience Relapse	Relapse in each group was determined using the Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score for Wegener's Granulomatosis(BVAS, range 0-64). The total score is composed of 34 predefined items grouped into 9 organ systems. Each item has a specified weight of either 3 or 1, depending on whether it reflects major or minor disease activity. A score of 0 indicates no disease activity; a higher score indicates worsening disease. Per protocol relapse is defined as BVAS >/= 2; however for reporting purposes relapse was defined as BVAS >/= 1 because the participant was treated based on the clinical relapse.	from complete remission to end of study, approximately 2 years
Frequency of Relapse	Frequency, as determined by number of relapse in each group. Per protocol relapse is defined as BVAS >/= 2; however for reporting purposes relapse was defined as BVAS >/= 1 because the participant was treated based on the clinical relapse.	from complete remission to end of study, approximately 2 years
Severity of Relapse	Severity of relapse as determined by number of major relapse in each group. Major relapse is defined as involving a major organ	from complete remission to end of study, approximately 2 years
Time to Positive ANCA	For participants who had a negative ANCA test, time to positive ANCA	from first negative ANCA test since start of study , if applicable- to end of study, maximum two years, as applicable
Frequency of Infections	Frequency as determined by the number of infections	from remission to end of study, approximately 2 years
Number of Infections, Categorized by Severity	number of mild/moderate/severe infections	from remission to end of study, approximately 2 years
Time to Interleukin (IL)-10 Secreting B Regulatory Cells > 45% or CD5+ B Cells > 43% of Total B Cells	Time to IL-10 secreting B regulatory cells > 45% or CD5+ B cells > 43% of total B cells	from enrollment to end of study, approximately 2.5 to 3 years

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
• Collaborators: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Vimal Derebail, MD, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Guillevin L, Pagnoux C, Karras A, Khouatra C, Aumaitre O, Cohen P, Maurier F, Decaux O, Ninet J, Gobert P, Quemeneur T, Blanchard-Delaunay C, Godmer P, Puechal X, Carron PL, Hatron PY, Limal N, Hamidou M, Ducret M, Daugas E, Papo T, Bonnotte B, Mahr A, Ravaud P, Mouthon L; French Vasculitis Study Group. Rituximab versus azathioprine for maintenance in ANCA-associated vasculitis. N Engl J Med. 2014 Nov 6;371(19):1771-80. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1404231.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 28, 2019
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 27, 2025
• Study Completion (Actual): February 27, 2025

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 4, 2019
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 4, 2019
• First Posted (Actual): April 8, 2019

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): November 26, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 14, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Immune System Diseases; Skin Diseases; Skin Diseases, Vascular; Vasculitis; Systemic Vasculitis; Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases; Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis
• Other Study ID Numbers: 18-2015; 5P01DK058335-18 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Deidentified individual data that supports the results will be shared beginning 9 to 36 months following publication provided the investigator who proposes to use the data has approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB), Independent Ethics Committee (IEC), or Research Ethics Board (REB), as applicable, and executes a data use/sharing agreement with UNC.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: 9 to 36 months following publication
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB), Independent Ethics Committee (IEC), or Research Ethics Board (REB), as applicable, and data use/sharing agreement with UNC.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; ICF

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: Yes
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No