CAR T cells for treating autoimmune diseases

Autoimmune disorders occur when immune cells go wrong and attack the body’s own tissues. Currently, autoimmune disorders are largely treated by broad immunosuppressive agents and blocking antibodies, which can manage the diseases but often are not curative. Thus, there is an urgent need for advanced...

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Main Authors: Dimitrios Mougiakakos, Ulrike Koehl, Stephan Fricke, Ulrich Blache, Sandy Tretbar
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2023-11-01
Series:RMD Open
Online Access:https://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/9/4/e002907.full
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author Dimitrios Mougiakakos
Ulrike Koehl
Stephan Fricke
Ulrich Blache
Sandy Tretbar
author_facet Dimitrios Mougiakakos
Ulrike Koehl
Stephan Fricke
Ulrich Blache
Sandy Tretbar
author_sort Dimitrios Mougiakakos
collection DOAJ
description Autoimmune disorders occur when immune cells go wrong and attack the body’s own tissues. Currently, autoimmune disorders are largely treated by broad immunosuppressive agents and blocking antibodies, which can manage the diseases but often are not curative. Thus, there is an urgent need for advanced therapies for patients suffering from severe and refractory autoimmune diseases, and researchers have considered cell therapy as potentially curative approach for several decades. In the wake of its success in cancer therapy, adoptive transfer of engineered T cells modified with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) for target recognition could now become a therapeutic option for some autoimmune diseases. Here, we review the ongoing developments with CAR T cells in the field of autoimmune disorders. We will cover first clinical results of applying anti-CD19 and anti-B cell maturation antigen CAR T cells for B cell elimination in systemic lupus erythematosus, refractory antisynthetase syndrome and myasthenia gravis, respectively. Furthermore, in preclinical models, researchers have also developed chimeric autoantibody receptor T cells that can eliminate individual B cell clones producing specific autoantibodies, and regulatory CAR T cells that do not eliminate autoreactive immune cells but dampen their wrong activation. Finally, we will address safety and manufacturing aspects for CAR T cells and discuss mRNA technologies and automation concepts for ensuring the future availability of safe and efficient CAR T cell products.
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issn 2056-5933
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spelling doaj-art-f23e0b3ee37445099126896b758290ec2025-02-06T04:45:12ZengBMJ Publishing GroupRMD Open2056-59332023-11-019410.1136/rmdopen-2022-002907CAR T cells for treating autoimmune diseasesDimitrios Mougiakakos0Ulrike Koehl1Stephan Fricke2Ulrich Blache3Sandy Tretbar42 Department of Haematology, Oncology, and Cell Therapy, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, Leipzig, Germany1Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology, Leipzig, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, Leipzig, GermanyFraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, Leipzig, GermanyAutoimmune disorders occur when immune cells go wrong and attack the body’s own tissues. Currently, autoimmune disorders are largely treated by broad immunosuppressive agents and blocking antibodies, which can manage the diseases but often are not curative. Thus, there is an urgent need for advanced therapies for patients suffering from severe and refractory autoimmune diseases, and researchers have considered cell therapy as potentially curative approach for several decades. In the wake of its success in cancer therapy, adoptive transfer of engineered T cells modified with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) for target recognition could now become a therapeutic option for some autoimmune diseases. Here, we review the ongoing developments with CAR T cells in the field of autoimmune disorders. We will cover first clinical results of applying anti-CD19 and anti-B cell maturation antigen CAR T cells for B cell elimination in systemic lupus erythematosus, refractory antisynthetase syndrome and myasthenia gravis, respectively. Furthermore, in preclinical models, researchers have also developed chimeric autoantibody receptor T cells that can eliminate individual B cell clones producing specific autoantibodies, and regulatory CAR T cells that do not eliminate autoreactive immune cells but dampen their wrong activation. Finally, we will address safety and manufacturing aspects for CAR T cells and discuss mRNA technologies and automation concepts for ensuring the future availability of safe and efficient CAR T cell products.https://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/9/4/e002907.full
spellingShingle Dimitrios Mougiakakos
Ulrike Koehl
Stephan Fricke
Ulrich Blache
Sandy Tretbar
CAR T cells for treating autoimmune diseases
RMD Open
title CAR T cells for treating autoimmune diseases
title_full CAR T cells for treating autoimmune diseases
title_fullStr CAR T cells for treating autoimmune diseases
title_full_unstemmed CAR T cells for treating autoimmune diseases
title_short CAR T cells for treating autoimmune diseases
title_sort car t cells for treating autoimmune diseases
url https://rmdopen.bmj.com/content/9/4/e002907.full
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AT ulrichblache cartcellsfortreatingautoimmunediseases
AT sandytretbar cartcellsfortreatingautoimmunediseases