Having first been developed to eradicate certain cancers, the novel CAR T-cell therapy is now under investigation for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This is an autoimmune disease where in the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues, causing severe pain in the form of inflammation and joint and organ damage. They are also treated with immunosuppressive drugs, which treat the symptoms and come with many side effects and have unreliable outcomes.
Instead, CAR T cell therapy reprograms a patient's own T cells to target B-cells, the autoimmune effector cells which cause the lupus pathology through the secretion of anti-nuclear antibodies. During clinical trials, this therapy showed promising results, including substantial symptom relief and the ability to remain in remission for a long period of time in patients who have severe or refractory to treatment lupus. A single infusion of these genetically modified cells demonstrated the potential to reset the immune system and so long term medication may not be required.
Even though the therapy is still in advanced experimental phase, preliminary investigations have suggested that CAR T-cell therapy may be effective treatment for lupus and may be more effective and even long-lasting than currently available treatment options. If these findings are confirmed in larger studies, it may offer the first effective treatment to the millions suffering from this chronic disease .
References:
National Cancer Institute (NCI): CAR T Cells: Engineering Immune Cells to Treat Cancer - https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/research/car-t-cell-therapy-infographic
American Cancer Society: CAR T-cell Therapy and Its Side Effects - https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/immunotherapy/car-t-cell1.html
Cleveland Clinic: CAR T-Cell Therapy: What It Is & How It Works - https://my.clevelandclinic.org/-/scassets/files/org/cancer/blood-marrow-guides/bmt-planning-for-car-t-cell-therapy.pdf?la=en
Penn Medicine: CAR T Cell Therapy - https://www.pennmedicine.org/cancer/navigating-cancer-care/treatment-types/immunotherapy/what-is-car-t-therapy Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board