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Interferon-λ-neutralizing autoantibodies and common autoimmune disease autoantibodies in pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome

Yin X, Frankovich J, Kalaycioglu M, Choudhury A, Burry Jr. MJ, Kwon WJ, Tian L, Ma M, Farhadian B, Manko C, Silverman M, Xie Y, Tran P, Schlenk N, Utz PJ and Prestwood TR (2026) Interferon-λ-neutralizing autoantibodies and common autoimmune disease autoantibodies in pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome. Front. Immunol. 17:1832833. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2026.1832833

📘 Deeper Dive https://aspire.care/clinicians/new-research-identifies-autoantibodies-and-altered-antiviral-immune-responses-in-a-subset-of-children-with-pans/

  • 166 children with PANS were compared with healthy pediatric controls using plasma collected during active flares.
  • PANS patients had higher rates of autoantibodies associated with connective tissue, GI, and endocrine autoimmune diseases.
  • A subset had autoantibodies targeting interferon lambda (IFN-λ), an important part of antiviral defense at mucosal/barrier surfaces.
  • Functional testing showed that some IFN-λ autoantibodies reduced or neutralized IFN-λ signaling, suggesting potential impairment of antiviral immune responses.
  • Findings add to evidence of immune dysregulation and autoimmunity in PANS and identify IFN-λ autoantibodies as an important area for further research.
  • Researchers caution that these autoantibodies are not currently diagnostic biomarkers for PANS.