#2-37E. Teclistamab: A Novel Plasma Cell Strategy for Refractory Anti-Jo-1 ASyS (ARD, 2025)

Are you struggling to manage rapidly progressive, refractory Antisynthetase Syndrome (ASyS) where standard B-cell depletion has proven ineffective? This letter details the case of a 57-year-old patient with rapidly progressing Jo-1 and Ro-52-positive ASyS, involving severe interstitial lung disease, myopathy, and carditis, who had failed multiple previous therapies including high-dose steroids and rituximab. Recognizing the pathogenetic role of autoantibody-secreting plasma cells, the patient was treated with teclistamab, a bispecific T-cell engager targeting CD3/BCMA. The most critical finding is that teclistamab induced a rapid and complete clinical and serologic remission within six months, accompanied by a near-complete resolution of inflammatory signs in the lung and heart. This striking efficacy was linked to the vast depletion of plasma cells in the bone marrow and inflamed muscle tissues. For clinicians managing complex rheumatologic diseases, these findings propose an exciting, immediate-access, plasma-cell-directed strategy for refractory ASyS. However, the generalizability of this result must be interpreted cautiously as this is a single case report, necessitating validation in larger cohorts.

Citation: Phithak E, Albach FN, Minopoulou I, et al. Teclistamab-induced rapid remission in refractory Anti-Jo-1 Antisynthetase Syndrome. Ann Rheum Dis. 2025. DOI: 10.1016/j.ard.2025.09.012

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