CAR T-cell therapy, initially developed for blood cancers, is showing promising early results in treating lupus, an autoimmune disease. Researchers at Penn Medicine are encouraged by these findings, suggesting broader applications for personalized cellular therapies.
Targeting B Cells in Lupus
Lupus is characterized by the production of autoantibodies by B cells, which attack the body's own organs and tissues. Given the success of CAR T-cell therapy in targeting B cells in certain cancers, researchers hypothesized that a similar approach could be effective in lupus. The experimental CAR T therapies against lupus utilize existing anti-B-cell designs.
CAR T-Cell Therapy: A Personalized Approach
CAR T-cells are engineered from a patient's own T cells, which are collected from the blood, genetically modified to target specific cells, and then multiplied in the lab. These modified T cells are then reinfused into the patient as a "living drug." The first CAR T therapy, Kymriah, was developed at Penn Medicine and received FDA approval in 2017. Currently, there are six FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapies available in the United States, each targeting different cancers.
Expanding the Horizon for CAR T-Cell Therapy
Experts have long believed that T cells could be engineered to combat conditions beyond B cell cancers. Numerous research teams worldwide are investigating potential new applications. According to Carl June, the Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Penn Medicine and director of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at the Abramson Cancer Center, "We’ve always known that in principle, CAR T therapies could have broad applications, and it’s very encouraging to see early evidence that this promise is now being realized."
