H. Kim
Research Institute & Hospital of National Cancer Center NeurologyDr. Ho Jin Kim is a consultant neurologist and principal scientist at the Research Institute and Hospital of National Cancer Center, Goyang Korea. He is also professor of Department of Cancer Biomedical Science, National Cancer Center Graduate School of Cancer Science & Policy.
Dr. Kim received his medical degree from Seoul National University (1992) where he also completed his residency training in neurology (1998) and clinical fellowship in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromuscular disease. Dr. Kim went on to pursue his academic research interest as a research fellow in neuroimmunology at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California, USA for a year. Then he spent four years as a senior fellow and staff researcher in MS and neuroimmunology at the Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
His major research interests lie in studying the development and application of biological assays to monitor the disease process and evaluate the response to novel therapeutics. His other research interests are in studying differences among various autoimmune inflammatory diseases of CNS including MS, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder and MOG-IgG associated disease in both clinical and radiological features as well as underlying pathogenesis.
Dr. Kim is widely published and a member of many prominent professional societies and associations including the American Academy of Neurology, European Neurological Society, International Society of Neuroimmunology, The Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies, the Korean Neurological Association, and the Korean Society of Multiple Sclerosis. He is a vice-president of Pan-Asian Committee of Treatment and Research for Multiple Sclerosis (PACTRIMS) and a member of executive and organizing committee of PACTRIMS. He also serves as a co-editor for Multiple Sclerosis Journal and an associated editor for Journal of Clinical Neurology.
Author Of 4 Presentations
FC01.01 - Long-term efficacy and safety of eculizumab monotherapy in AQP4+ neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder
Abstract
Background
In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 PREVENT trial (NCT01892345), eculizumab was well tolerated and significantly reduced relapse risk vs placebo in patients with aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G-positive (AQP4+) neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). The treatment effect observed in a prespecified subgroup of patients who received eculizumab monotherapy vs placebo alone (i.e. without concomitant immunosuppressive therapy [IST]) was consistent with the overall population.
Objectives
To examine the long-term efficacy and safety of eculizumab monotherapy in patients with AQP4+ NMOSD during PREVENT and/or its ongoing open-label extension (OLE; NCT02003144).
Methods
During PREVENT and its OLE, adults with AQP4+ NMOSD received eculizumab (maintenance dose, 1200 mg/2 weeks) or placebo (PREVENT only) with/without concomitant IST. Relapses, hospitalizations, IST changes and adverse events (AEs) with eculizumab monotherapy (PREVENT and its OLE; interim data cut-off, July 31, 2019) or with placebo alone (PREVENT) were descriptively analyzed post hoc.
Results
During PREVENT and/or its OLE, 33 patients received eculizumab monotherapy for a total of 85.3 patient-years (PY). Adjudicated relapses occurred in 1/33 patients (annualized relapse rate [ARR], 0.012; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.002–0.082), vs 7/13 with placebo alone in PREVENT. At 192 weeks, 96.2% of patients who received eculizumab monotherapy were relapse-free (95% CI: 0.757–0.994) vs 93.8% of patients who received eculizumab with concomitant IST (95% CI: 0.867–0.972). No patients receiving eculizumab monotherapy required hospitalization for a relapse and none started an IST. The treatment-related AE rate with eculizumab monotherapy in PREVENT and its OLE was similar to that with placebo alone in PREVENT (181.0 and 186.0 events/100 PY, respectively), the infection rate was similar between these groups (174.1 vs 186.0 events/100 PY), and the treatment-related serious AE rate was lower with eculizumab monotherapy than with placebo alone (5.7 vs 23.3 events/100 PY). No meningococcal infections or deaths occurred among these patients.
Conclusions
A very high proportion of patients who had experienced 1–2 relapses in the pre-study year remained relapse-free through 192 weeks of eculizumab monotherapy. Long-term eculizumab monotherapy was well tolerated. These data support the long-term effectiveness of eculizumab monotherapy in reducing relapse risk in AQP4+ NMOSD.
FC01.02 - Efficacy and safety of eculizumab in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder previously treated with rituximab: findings from PREVENT
Abstract
Background
In PREVENT, eculizumab was associated with a significant reduction in relapse risk versus placebo and was well tolerated. In total, 46 patients (26/96 in the eculizumab arm, 20/47 in the placebo arm) were previously treated with the monoclonal antibody rituximab.
Objectives
To describe the efficacy and safety of eculizumab in patients in the PREVENT trial (NCT01892345) who had previously received rituximab.
Methods
Adults with aquaporin-4 immunoglobulin G-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder received eculizumab (maintenance dose, 1200 mg/2 weeks) or placebo with/without concomitant immunosuppressive treatment (except rituximab/mitoxantrone). A post hoc descriptive analysis was performed using data from patients with any prior rituximab treatment (within the previous year only for review of adverse events [AEs]) recorded more than 3 months before randomization.
Results
Baseline characteristics of the prior-rituximab subgroup were similar to those of the total PREVENT population; however, the subgroup included a lower proportion of Asian patients (10.9% vs 36.4% in total PREVENT) and greater representation from the Americas (58.7% vs 30.8%). In the subgroup, median times from last dose of rituximab to meningococcal vaccination and to first dose of study treatment were 31.7 and 38.7 weeks, respectively. Adjudicated relapses occurred in 1/26 patients (3.8%) and 7/20 patients (35.0%) in the eculizumab and placebo arms (hazard ratio: 0.093; 95% confidence interval: 0.011–0.755; p = 0.0055), respectively. Rates of AEs for eculizumab and placebo were 1025.8 and 1029.1 events/100 patient-years (100% of patients), respectively, and rates of serious AEs were 46.9 and 66.0 events/100 patient-years (38.9% and 47.1% of patients), respectively. Serious infections/infestations were recorded in 2/18 patients (11.1%) and 2/17 patients (11.8%) in the eculizumab and placebo arms, respectively.
Conclusions
In patients in PREVENT who had previously received rituximab, the risk of adjudicated relapse was significantly lower with eculizumab than with placebo. Rates of serious infections were similarly low with eculizumab and placebo.
PS15.03 - Optical coherence tomography in aquaporin-4-IgG positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders: a collaborative multi-center study
- F. Oertel
- S. Specovius
- H. Zimmermann
- C. Chien
- S. Motamedi
- L. Cook
- M. Lana-Peixoto
- M. Fontenelle
- H. Kim
- J. Hyun
- J. Palace
- A. Roca-Fernandez
- F. Ashtari
- R. Kafieh
- L. Pandit
- A. D'Cunha
- O. Aktas
- M. Ringelstein
- E. May
- C. Tongco
- L. Leocani
- M. Pisa
- M. Radaelli
- E. Martinez-Lapiscina
- H. Stiebel-Kalish
- S. Siritho
- J. De Seze
- T. Senger
- J. Havla
- R. Marignier
- E. Nerrant
- A. Cobo Calvo
- D. Bichuetti
- I. Tavares
- N. Asgari
- K. Soelberg
- A. Altintas
- U. Tanriverdi
- A. Jacob
- S. Huda
- Z. Rimler
- Y. Mao-Draayer
- I. Soto De Castillo
- A. Green
- M. Yeaman
- T. Smith
- A. Brandt
- F. Paul
Abstract
Background
Optic neuritis (ON) is a frequent manifestation in aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG) seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). Due to limited samples, existing optical coherence tomography (OCT) studies are inconsistent regarding retinal changes in eyes with a history of ON (NMO-ON) and without a history of ON (NMO-NON), and their functional relevance.
Objectives
The CROCTINO (Collaborative Retrospective Study on retinal OCT in Neuromyelitis Optica) project aims to reveal correlates of retinal pathology and to generate hypotheses for prospective OCT studies in NMOSD. The objective of this study was to analyze retinal changes of AQP4-IgG seropositive NMO-ON and NMO-NON eyes in an international cross-sectional OCT dataset.
Methods
Of 656 subjects, we enrolled 283 AQP4-IgG seropositive NMOSD patients and 72 healthy controls (HC) from 22 international expert centers. OCT data was acquired with Spectralis SD-OCT, Cirrus HD-OCT and Topcon 3D OCT-1. Mean thickness for the combined ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer (GCIP) and inner nuclear layer (INL) were calculated from macular volume scans. Clinical, functional and laboratory testing were performed at discretion of each center.
Results
We compared NMO-ON eyes (N = 260), NMO-NON eyes (N = 241) and HC eyes (N = 136). GCIP was reduced in NMO-ON (57.4 ± 12.2 µm) compared with NMO-NON (75.9 ± 7.7 µm; p < 0.001) and HC (81.4 ± 5.7 µm; p < 0.001). NMO-NON had thinner GCIP (p < 0.001) compared with HC. INL was thicker in NMO-ON (40.3 ± 3.9 µm) compared with NMO-NON (38.6 ± 3.9µm; p < 0.001), but not HC (39.4 ± 2.6 µm). Microcystic macular edema were visible in 6.6 % of NMOSD eyes.
Conclusions
AQP4-IgG seropositive NMOSD is characterized by a functionally relevant loss of retinal neuroaxonal content and a - probably inflammatory - increase of INL after ON. Our study further supports the existence of attack-independent damage in the visual system of patients with AQP4-IgG seropositive NMOSD.