Autoimmune conditions
Myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune disorder that disrupts signaling from nerves to muscles. Weakness can affect the eyes, face, limbs, swallowing or breathing and often varies over time.
Other names and abbreviations
MG · gMG · AChR-positive MG · MuSK-positive MG · Autoimmune myasthenia gravis · Acquired myasthenia gravis
Where transplant fits
Autologous transplantation has been reported in selected refractory cases but is not routine treatment. It uses the patient’s own blood-forming cells, so an unrelated donor is not needed.
Treatment depends on the exact diagnosis, disease stage, prior treatment and the person’s health. These categories are not estimates of donor demand.
Treatment at a glance
- Who it affects
- Can affect people at different ages. Antibody type, thymus findings and the pattern of weakness influence treatment.
- Other treatment options
- Symptom-directed and immune-directed medicines, immunoglobulin or plasma exchange, and thymectomy in appropriate patients are important options. Targeted medicines have antibody- and patient-specific indications.
- Cells used for transplantation
- When performed, transplantation uses the patient’s own blood-forming stem cells, usually collected from peripheral blood.
Why the details matter
Published transplant evidence is limited. Results in a small refractory cohort cannot be generalized to ordinary MG or inherited congenital myasthenic syndromes.
Questions to bring to your care team
What is the exact diagnosis or subtype? What is the goal of each treatment option? If transplant is being considered, why does it fit this situation, which cells would be used and what are the alternatives?
Sources and further reading
- FDA Approves New Treatment for Myasthenia Gravis
FDA · Accessed 2026-09-05 - Autoimmune Disease
EBMT Handbook · 2024-04-11 - 2025 EBMT practice recommendations for transplantation and CAR-T
EBMT · 2025
Understanding can become action.
Some patients need a blood stem cell donor. Others receive different treatment. Wherever your interest began, you can help JBF reach more people who may be able to donate.
Explore the official registry serving where you live. It explains who can join, how registration works and what donation involves.
Find your official registryIf joining is not right for you, a gift to the Jada Bascom Foundation supports education, outreach and referrals to official registries.
Donate to JBFKeep learning
Why matching is hard: an interactive leukemia story
More in autoimmune conditions. Sharing a group does not mean sharing a treatment plan.
