Monitoring of Anti-TFPI in Hemophilia

During the development of anti-TFPI antibodies, thrombin generation assay (TGA) was employed using both in vitro measurements (antibodies added to blood samples) and ex vivo approaches (blood samples from patients in phase II and III trials). While a significant improvement in thrombin generation was observed in all samples from patients with severe hemophilia, no correlation with clinical outcomes could be established. Notably, thrombin peak levels were consistently improved even in patients who experienced bleeding episodes. These measurements were conducted in platelet-poor plasma (PPP) with standard reagents, which may not adequately reflect the hemostatic efficacy of anti-TFPI antibodies given their mechanism of action. It is hypothesized that optimizing reagents and utilizing more appropriate biological materials could enhance TGA sensitivity, as previously demonstrated for monitoring emicizumab. The absence of a laboratory assay to monitor anti-TFPI (tissue factor pathway inhibitor) antibodies poses a significant challenge for managing patients in surgical settings and treating acute severe bleeding. This study aims to develop a reliable assay to evaluate the hemostatic efficacy of anti-TFPI antibodies and their combined procoagulant effect with factor concentrates (FVIII or FIX) or bypassing agents.