CAR T-cell therapy, initially developed to combat blood cancers, is showing promising early results in treating the autoimmune disease lupus. Researchers, including Penn Medicine CAR T pioneer Carl June, are encouraged by these findings, suggesting the potential for broader applications of this personalized immunotherapy.
T cells, critical components of the immune system, are engineered in CAR T-cell therapy to target and eliminate specific cell types. This approach involves collecting a patient's T cells, modifying them in the lab, and reinfusing them back into the patient as a "living drug."
The first CAR T therapy, Kymriah, was developed by June and his team at Penn Medicine and received FDA approval in 2017. Currently, there are six FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies in the United States, each targeting different cancers. Given the success in cancer treatment, researchers are now exploring the potential of CAR T-cell therapy for other conditions, particularly those driven by B cells, such as lupus. In lupus, B cells produce antibodies that attack the body's own organs and tissues.
Lupus is considered an obvious choice for CAR T-cell therapy because it is driven by B cells. Experimental CAR T therapies against lupus can employ existing anti-B-cell designs. Dozens of research teams around the world, including teams at Penn Medicine and biotech spinoffs who are working to develop effective treatments from Penn-developed personalized cellular therapy constructs, are examining these potential new applications.
