• Disease-free survival [ Time Frame: 24 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Overall Survival [ Time Frame: 24 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: Yes ]

• Immune Reconstitution [ Time Frame: over 24 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Organ-specific response parameters [ Time Frame: 24 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
• Serological Response (Autoantibodies) [ Time Frame: 24 months ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

While glucocorticoids and immunosuppressants ameliorate manifestations of autoimmune diseases in many patients, current therapies are insufficient to control the disease in a subset of patients, and their clinical prognosis remains poor due to the development of vital organ failure, cumulative drug toxicity and to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and malignancy. Immunoablative chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has recently emerged as a promising experimental therapy for severely affected patients, providing them the potential to achieve treatment-free, long-term remission. The rationale for applying ASCT to autoimmune diseases has been the hope that immunoablation could eliminate inflammation-driving pathogenic cells from the immune system, and that regeneration of the patients' immune system from hematopoietic precursors could re-establish immunological tolerance.

• Rosen O, Thiel A, Massenkeil G, Hiepe F, Häupl T, Radtke H, Burmester GR, Gromnica-Ihle E, Radbruch A, Arnold R. Autologous stem-cell transplantation in refractory autoimmune diseases after in vivo immunoablation and ex vivo depletion of mononuclear cells. Arthritis Res. 2000;2(4):327-36. Epub 2000 Jun 8.
• Jayne D, Passweg J, Marmont A, Farge D, Zhao X, Arnold R, Hiepe F, Lisukov I, Musso M, Ou-Yang J, Marsh J, Wulffraat N, Besalduch J, Bingham SJ, Emery P, Brune M, Fassas A, Faulkner L, Ferster A, Fiehn C, Fouillard L, Geromin A, Greinix H, Rabusin M, Saccardi R, Schneider P, Zintl F, Gratwohl A, Tyndall A; European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation; European League Against Rheumatism Registry. Autologous stem cell transplantation for systemic lupus erythematosus. Lupus. 2004;13(3):168-76.
• Rosen O, Hiepe F, Massenkeil G, Thiel A, Arnold R. Relapse of systemic lupus erythematosus. Lancet. 2001 Mar 10;357(9258):807-8. No abstract available.
• Thiel A, Alexander T, Schmidt CA, Przybylski GK, Kimmig S, Kohler S, Radtke H, Gromnica-Ihle E, Massenkeil G, Radbruch A, Arnold R, Hiepe F. Direct assessment of thymic reactivation after autologous stem cell transplantation. Acta Haematol. 2008;119(1):22-7. Epub 2008 Feb 22.
• Rosen O, Massenkeil G, Hiepe F, Pest S, Hauptmann S, Radtke H, Burmester G, Thiel A, Radbruch A, Heymer B, Arnold R. Cardiac death after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc): no evidence for cyclophosphamide-induced cardiomyopathy. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2001 Mar;27(6):657-8.
• Alexander T, Thiel A, Rosen O, Massenkeil G, Sattler A, Kohler S, Mei H, Radtke H, Gromnica-Ihle E, Burmester GR, Arnold R, Radbruch A, Hiepe F. Depletion of autoreactive immunologic memory followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in patients with refractory SLE induces long-term remission through de novo generation of a juvenile and tolerant immune system. Blood. 2009 Jan 1;113(1):214-23. Epub 2008 Sep 29.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Autoimmune disease
• Active disease with inadequate response to standard protocols (glucocorticoids and at least two different regimens of immunosuppressive drugs, such as intravenous cyclophosphamide 800-1000mg/application)
• Provision of informed consent by subject

Exclusion Criteria:

• Active or chronic infections
• Uncontrolled arrhythmia or congestive heart failure (ejection fraction below 50% determined by echocardiogram)
• Lung fibrosis (transfer factor for carbon monoxide [TLCO] <45%)
• renal insufficiency (glomerular filtration rate below 40 ml/min)
• Pulmonary arterial hypertension (>40mmHg)
• History of malignancy
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
• Use non-reliable methods of contraception