In March 2021, a team of doctors from FAU treated a young woman with a severe autoimmune disease using chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells, marking the first such treatment worldwide. Nearly three years later, their pilot study demonstrates that CAR T-cell therapy can make various autoimmune diseases disappear completely for a long period, eliminating the need for further drug-based therapy.
Prof. Dr. Georg Schett and Prof. Dr. Andreas Mackensen led the study, which involved 15 patients with severe forms of autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, and myositis. A single infusion of CAR T-cells, derived from the patient's own body and manipulated outside the body, led to the resolution of chronic inflammation in organs like the heart, lungs, kidneys, joints, and skin. This breakthrough allowed patients to stop using immune-suppressive drugs such as cortisone for several years.
The treatment was facilitated by a special cleanroom in Department of Medicine 5 at Uniklinikum Erlangen, where patients' immune cells were transformed into therapeutic weapons. PD Dr. Michael Aigner and his team monitored the manufacturing process and quality of these cells before they were returned to the patient. The CAR T-cells effectively attack pathogenic B-lymphocytes, leading to the disease being cured, as demonstrated in the study.
Interestingly, while B-cells return after treatment, the disease does not. The new B-cells are naive and no longer trigger disease, offering a promising outlook for patients. This breakthrough in immunomedicine is part of the CASTLE study conducted at Uniklinikum Erlangen, offering hope for patients with severe forms of systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, and myositis.