Shanghai Changzheng Hospital

First-in-Human iPSC-CAR-NK Cell Therapy Shows Promise for Autoimmune Disease Treatment

- Qihan Biotech's QN-139b represents the first-ever application of iPSC-CAR-NK cells in treating autoimmune disease, successfully inducing immune reset in a patient with refractory systemic sclerosis. - The dual-targeting therapy eliminates pathogenic B cells and plasma cells by targeting both CD19 and BCMA, incorporating nine gene edits and advanced safety features including a tEGFR safety switch. - After six months of treatment, the patient showed significant reduction in autoantibodies, dramatic improvement in skin scores, and histological evidence of B cell clearance and fibrosis suppression. - The groundbreaking clinical results were published in Cell, marking a potential breakthrough for treating severe autoimmune diseases with off-the-shelf cell therapies.