Immunotherapies such as CAR T-cell therapy were originally developed mainly to fight cancer. But scientists are now investigating whether these personalized treatments, made from a patient's own immune cells, could also help treat or even potentially cure autoimmune diseases.
Researchers at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now tested CAR T-cell therapy in six people with particularly severe rheumatoid arthritis. The world's first clinical trial of its kind, reported in Nature Medicine, produced encouraging early results. Disease activity fell substantially in every participant, and by the end of the observation period, three patients no longer needed rheumatoid arthritis medication.
Why Rheumatoid Arthritis Can Be So Difficult To Treat
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the joints. Repeated inflammation causes swelling and can eventually damage the joints.
Existing medications are often effective at controlling inflammation, but they generally do not cure the disease. As a result, many patients need lifelong treatment with anti-inflammatory drugs and medications that suppress the immune system, which can also cause side effects.
