Nature Medicine: Pressed the reset button for autoimmune diseases

Patients with severe autoimmune diseases are being treated with genetically modified cells from the body, known as CAR-T cells
.

"CAR stands for Chimeric Antigen Receptor, which is an artificial receptor," explains Professor Andreas Mackensen, "Immune cells or T cells extracted from a patient are genetically engineered in the laboratory to be added to CAR
.

In patients with autoimmune diseases, CAR-T cells are programmed to make B cells harmless, and B cells form antibodies
to their own cells.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), also known as red wolf disease, is a serious autoimmune disease that most often occurs in young women and forms antibodies that attack the body's DNA
.

"We have been able to help six young patients with life-threatening systemic lupus erythematosus and completely cure their disease with CAR-T cell therapy," said
Professor Georg Schett, chair of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology Medicine.

Professor Dimitros Mougiakakos, an CAR-T cell specialist from the University of Magdeburg, who was also involved in the study, spoke about the "reset button"
activated by CAR-T cells in the immune system of affected patients.

Treatment is carried out at the German Immunotherapy Center (DZI) in Erlangen, by the 1181 Cooperative Research Center (Inflammation Resolution Checkpoint; Speaker: Professor Georg Schett
).
Scientists are planning a package of clinical trials in early 2023, when patients with various serious autoimmune diseases will be able to receive treatment
with CAR-T cells.

essay

Anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy for refractory systemic lupus erythematosus