CAR-T therapy puts woman's three autoimmune diseases into remission
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- University Hospital Erlangen treated a 47-year-old woman with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA), immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), and antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) using CAR-T cell therapy, marking the first time all three diseases responded to the treatment within weeks.
- Prof Fabian Müller, who led the team, said the patient had failed nine prior treatments and required daily blood transfusions before therapy, with her last transfusion coming just a week after the CAR-T infusion and everyday activities resuming two weeks later.
- The engineered T-cells targeted the CD19 protein on rogue B-cells, and when the patient's B-cells returned months later they appeared healthy, suggesting an immune reset that has kept her off all treatment for 14 months.
- Prof Ben Parker, a consultant rheumatologist at Manchester University NHS foundation trust, called the response encouraging and said the "prolonged response off normal therapy suggests an immune reset," but warned case reports do not prove wider use and clinical trials are needed.
- Active CAR-T trials are currently recruiting across lupus, myositis, MS, systemic sclerosis, and vasculitis, with some already reporting early results, though the durability of the Erlangen patient's remission remains unknown.
- The woman still has a low white blood cell count and slightly raised liver enzymes, which researchers attribute to years of previous treatments rather than the CAR-T therapy itself.
Why it matters: CAR-T therapy, already gamechanging in certain cancers, is now being repurposed to treat autoimmune diseases by targeting CD19 on B-cells, and the Erlangen case suggests a single infusion could reset the immune system across multiple conditions simultaneously. If clinical trials in lupus, MS, and related diseases confirm durable remissions, patients who exhaust standard treatment options may gain a one-time curative path where none existed before.
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