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CAR T-Cell Therapy is a promising new treatment to reduce the impact of lupus and the inflammatory response. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or Lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disorder that can affect many different parts of the body. Patients may encounter a range of symptoms depending on the specific systems of the body that are impacted. Lupus results when the body’s own immune system attacks healthy tissue rather than foreign bacteria or pathogens. Simply put, the immune system loses the ability to distinguish a patient’s cells from those of bacteria and viruses, creating autoantibodies and an exaggerated inflammatory response.
Breaking down the science
Foreign proteins called antigens activate the immune system. They live on the surfaces of bacteria, fungi and viruses. When antigens attach to special receptors on immune system cells, the immune system is triggered to attack. The body stores information about the germ so that it can recognize it straight away and start fighting immediately in the future.
Chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy) is a treatment that introduces a receptor gene to a patient’s T cells, a type of immune cell. The introduced receptor gene contains instructions for making chimeric antigen receptors (CAR.) This is a protein that attaches to specific antigens in other cells throughout the body. In the case of lupus, this genetically engineered T cell can attack B cell markers causing depletion.
For folks without lupus, B cells help maintain a functioning immune system and produce protective antibodies. Lupus patients experience an overproduction of autoantibodies by B cells, triggering an overwhelming inflammatory response and various symptoms. Since 2011, B cell depletion is the goal of several lupus treatments, like Benlysta. Scientists are hopeful that CAR-T cell therapy will provide the same benefit for treatment-resistant lupus patients.
Recent research in CAR-T cell therapy
Researchers at UC Davis are conducting a clinical trial that aims to improve the lives of people with lupus by verifying the effectiveness of CAR-T cell therapy. They hope to build upon a previous study that suggested that this therapy could become an effective treatment for lupus patients not responding to current treatments. Researchers are hoping to eliminate or even reduce SLE symptoms with a single infusion of CAR T cells and match the success of the previous study.
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