An international team of researchers has announced the discovery of a new blood clotting disorder, which they hope will shed light on some previously unexplained drug-resistant cases of disease.
The disorder has been named VITT-like monoclonal gammopathy of thrombotic significance (VITT-like MGTS). According to the researchers, it is similar to the rare cases of vaccine induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT) which occurs in response to certain COVID-19 vaccines.
The findings have been reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The researchers, led by a Canadian team, set out to find out about unexplained cases of clotting, examining details of five patients from all over the world. Cases came from Canada, New Zealand, France, Spain, and Germany and all the patients had been treated unsuccessfully with anticoagulants.
This indicated the presence of monoclonal proteins, which, the researchers say, indicate plasma cell disorders. In addition, the VITT-like antibodies persisted for more than 12 months, which points to a continuing pathological process rather than a short-term crisis, they say.
The researchers note that patients seemed to benefit from unusual treatments, including high dose intravenous immunoglobin, ibrutinib, and plasma cell targeted myeloma therapy.
Researcher Ishac Nazy, scientific director of the McMaster Platelet Immunology Laboratory, Ontario, Canada, said: “The findings of this study underscore our ability to leverage fundamental molecular and biochemical science to unravel disease mechanisms.”
Fellow researcher haematologist Professor Theodore Warkentin, of McMaster University, said: “By understanding how to diagnose VITT-like MGTS, we can develop more effective treatment strategies that go beyond traditional anticoagulation.”
Source:
Wang JJ, Warkentin TE, Schönborn L, Wheeler MB, Geerts WH, Costedoat-Chalumeau N, Gendron N, Ene G, Lozano M, Langer F, Lindhoff-Last E, Budde K, Chataway T, Troelnikov A, Sheppard JI, Zhang Y, Arnold DM, Gordon TP, Thiele T, Greinacher A, Nazy I. (2025) “VITT-like Monoclonal Gammopathy of Thrombotic Significance.” New England Journal of Medicine, 12 February 2025, doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2415930.
Link: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2415930
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