Autolus Therapeutics plc will present updated clinical data from its Phase I CARLYSLE study evaluating obecabtagene autoleucel (obe-cel) in patients with severe refractory systemic lupus erythematosus (srSLE) at the American College of Rheumatology Convergence 2025, scheduled for October 24-29, 2025, in Chicago.
The company announced the online publication of an abstract detailing preliminary results from the ongoing study, which represents one of the first attempts to apply chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy to treat systemic lupus erythematosus, a chronic autoimmune disease with limited treatment options.
Safety Profile Shows Promise
Initial findings from the CARLYSLE study demonstrate a manageable safety profile for obe-cel, a CD19-targeting autologous CAR-T therapy featuring a fast off-rate binding domain. The study reported no dose limiting toxicities (DLTs), no cases of immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS), and no Grade ≥2 cytokine release syndrome (CRS).
"Initial findings from the ongoing CARLYSLE study of obe-cel in srSLE show a manageable safety profile," according to the abstract summary. The safety data represents a critical milestone for applying CAR-T technology to autoimmune diseases, where the risk-benefit profile must be carefully balanced.
Clinical Efficacy Signals
All patients in the study demonstrated SLEDAI-2K score reduction and clinical benefit, indicating potential therapeutic efficacy across the treated population. Notably, three patients achieved complete renal response, suggesting the therapy may address one of the most serious complications of severe lupus.
The Phase I CARLYSLE study enrolled 15 patients with severe refractory SLE, focusing on evaluating the safety and feasibility of CAR-T cell therapy in this patient population while assessing potential therapeutic benefits.
Presentation Details
Dr. Maria Leandro will present the updated data during a poster session on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, from 10:30am to 12:30pm Central Time. The presentation, titled "Obecabtagene autoleucel (obe-cel), a CD19-targeting autologous chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T) with a fast off-rate binding domain, in patients with severe, refractory systemic lupus erythematosus (srSLE): preliminary results from the Phase I CARLYSLE study," will include updated follow-up data from the ongoing trial.
Expanding CAR-T Applications
The CARLYSLE study marks a significant expansion of CAR-T cell therapy applications beyond oncology into autoimmune diseases. Autolus Therapeutics is leveraging its proprietary T cell programming technologies to engineer precisely targeted therapies designed to better recognize target cells and eliminate them in autoimmune contexts.
The company describes itself as an early commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation programmed T cell therapies, with a marketed therapy AUCATZYL® and a pipeline of product candidates for hematological malignancies, solid tumors, and autoimmune diseases.
