science
CAR-T Therapy Shows Increasing Remissions in Autoimmune Diseases with Rising Experimentation and Investment
CAR-T cell therapy, originally developed for cancer treatment, is achieving more remissions in patients with autoimmune diseases. According to STAT News, this progress has prompted additional clinical trials and investments from pharmaceutical companies.
ST
Substrate placeholder — needs reviewAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
CAR-T cell therapy, a treatment that engineers patients' immune cells to attack diseased cells, has produced remissions in autoimmune diseases. Originally approved for certain blood cancers, the approach is now being tested for conditions where the immune system attacks healthy tissues, such as systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.
STAT News reported on cases where patients achieved complete remission after receiving the therapy.
In one example, a patient with lupus entered remission following CAR-T treatment, with no signs of disease activity months later. Similar outcomes have been observed in trials for multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders. These results build on earlier studies that first demonstrated the therapy's potential beyond oncology.
companies have launched multiple clinical trials to evaluate CAR-T for autoimmune applications.
Bristol Myers Squibb, for instance, is conducting studies on its CAR-T product, which received FDA approval for lymphoma in 2022. Other firms, including Novartis and Kyverna Therapeutics, are investing in similar programs targeting B cells, which play a key role in autoimmune responses.
The therapy works by extracting T cells from a patient, genetically modifying them to recognize and eliminate problematic immune cells, then reinfusing them.
This process can lead to sustained remissions, unlike traditional treatments that often require ongoing medication. However, challenges include high costs, manufacturing complexities, and potential side effects like cytokine release syndrome.
in CAR-T for autoimmune diseases has increased, with venture funding supporting startups like Cabaletta Bio and Equillium.
STAT News noted that the field is seeing a surge in experimentation, driven by early successes in small patient cohorts. Regulatory bodies, such as the FDA, have granted breakthrough therapy designations to some candidates, accelerating development.
