Scientists hail autoimmune disease therapy breakthrough

[helvella]

A paper of potential interest. But, as usual, no mention of thyroid!

Newspaper article:

Scientists hail autoimmune disease therapy breakthrough

Study finds CAR T-cell treatment sends lupus into remission, raising hopes it could be used to treat diseases such multiple sclerosis

theguardian.com/science/202...

Published paper:

Published: 15 September 2022

Anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy for refractory systemic lupus erythematosus

• Andreas Mackensen,

• Fabian Müller,

• Dimitrios Mougiakakos,

• Sebastian Böltz,

• Artur Wilhelm,

• Michael Aigner,

• Simon Völkl,

• David Simon,

• Arnd Kleyer,

• Luis Munoz,

• Sascha Kretschmann,

• Soraya Kharboutli,

• Regina Gary,

• Hannah Reimann,

• Wolf Rösler,

• Stefan Uderhardt,

• Holger Bang,

• Martin Herrmann,

• Arif Bülent Ekici,

• Christian Buettner,

• Katharina Maria Habenicht,

• Thomas H. Winkler,

• Gerhard Krönke &

• Georg Schett

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a life-threatening autoimmune disease characterized by adaptive immune system activation, formation of double-stranded DNA autoantibodies and organ inflammation. Five patients with SLE (four women and one man) with a median (range) age of 22 (6) years, median (range) disease duration of 4 (8) years and active disease (median (range) SLE disease activity index Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index: 16 (8)) refractory to several immunosuppressive drug treatments were enrolled in a compassionate-use chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell program. Autologous T cells from patients with SLE were transduced with a lentiviral anti-CD19 CAR vector, expanded and reinfused at a dose of 1 × 106 CAR T cells per kg body weight into the patients after lymphodepletion with fludarabine and cyclophosphamide. CAR T cells expanded in vivo, led to deep depletion of B cells, improvement of clinical symptoms and normalization of laboratory parameters including seroconversion of anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies. Remission of SLE according to DORIS criteria was achieved in all five patients after 3 months and the median (range) Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index score after 3 months was 0 (2). Drug-free remission was maintained during longer follow-up (median (range) of 8 (12) months after CAR T cell administration) and even after the reappearance of B cells, which was observed after a mean (±s.d.) of 110 ± 32 d after CAR T cell treatment. Reappearing B cells were naïve and showed non-class-switched B cell receptors. CAR T cell treatment was well tolerated with only mild cytokine-release syndrome. These data suggest that CD19 CAR T cell transfer is feasible, tolerable and highly effective in SLE.

Mackensen, A., Müller, F., Mougiakakos, D. et al. Anti-CD19 CAR T cell therapy for refractory systemic lupus erythematosus. Nat Med (2022). doi.org/10.1038/s41591-022-...

Full article is behind a pay wall.

nature.com/articles/s41591-...

[JGBH]

Thank you for this link. It would be wonderful if this therapy could treat lupus. rheumatoid arthritis, ms, etc… Perhaps too late for me and many people in the advanced stages of such diseases. Let’s hope this research will eventually be helpful for people suffering from thyroid problems too.

[userotc in reply to JGBH]

Out of interest, have you ever tried a naturopathic treatment incl diet & wellbeing?

[JGBH in reply to userotc]

Thank you for the suggestion. However I have a very good diet and I take supplements such as VitD3 with VitK2-MK7, a Super B vitamins complex, a good Magnesium spray (Better you) as recommended by many people on this forum. I also inject B12.. In the past I saw a naturopath but frankly it wasn’t really useful and extremely expensive. He was a qualified doctor as well as a naturopath. It is important to take a break from taking supplements I believe. Good health through diet is preferable but one can’t always absorb nutrients especially as one gets older and has chronic conditions. It certainly isn’t easy once one becomes seriously ill. Good health is such a gift we often don’t appreciate until it’s gone.