In a revolutionary medical breakthrough, a pioneering donor cell therapy has successfully induced sustained remission in patients with debilitating autoimmune diseases, offering new hope to millions of people around the world.
This was revealed on Monday by Nature, a weekly international journal that publishes peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology.
Nature stated that three people with severe autoimmune diseases achieved complete remission.
The report reads in part: “A woman and two men with serious autoimmune diseases have gone into remission after being treated with bioengineered CRISPR-modified immune cells.
“The three individuals from China are the first people with autoimmune disorders to be treated with engineered immune cells created from donor cells, rather than cells taken from their own bodies.”
From disability to recovery
According to the publication, a 57-year-old Shanghai resident, identified simply as Gong, suffered from systemic sclerosis, a debilitating disease that hardens the skin and damages organs.
But just three days after receiving the pioneering CAR T-cell therapy, she experienced a remarkable change: her skin loosened and she regained mobility in her fingers and mouth.
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After two weeks, he returned to his office job, and more than a year later, he reports, “I feel great.”
About engineered immune cells
Engineered immune cells, known as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, have been shown to be effective in treating blood cancers (with six products approved in the US), CAR T cells are now show promise in the fight against autoimmune diseases such as lupus and multiple sclerosis.
These diseases arise when rogue immune cells release antibodies that attack the body's own tissue.
Traditionally, CAR T-cell therapy relies on the patient's own immune cells, making it expensive and time-consuming due to customization.
According to them, to overcome the limitations of personalized CAR T cell therapy, scientists have turned to the utilization of donated immune cells, adding that this innovative approach promises to revolutionize the treatment landscape by allowing pharmaceutical companies to scale up manufacturing, significantly reducing costs and production times.
Cells from a single donor could produce therapies for more than 100 patients, according to Lin from donor cells.
Although donor-derived CAR T cells have been tested in cancer treatments with modest success, researchers are optimistic about their potential to combat autoimmune diseases.
autoimmune diseases
The trial led by Shanghai Naval Medical University rheumatologist Xu Huji reported unprecedented success in treating autoimmune diseases using donor-derived CAR T cell therapy.
The findings, published in Cell last month, reveal that all recipients remained in remission more than six months after treatment.
Building on this momentum, two dozen other people have received the donor-derived treatment or a modified version, with largely positive results, according to Mr. Xu.
While experts acknowledge the promising results, they emphasized the need for more research to confirm the safety and effectiveness of the therapy in a broader population.
Christina Bergmann, a rheumatologist at the University Hospital of Erlangen (Germany), warned that: “Success and safety seem promising, but we need to demonstrate it in many more people.”
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Daniel Baker, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, said that if donor-derived CAR T cell therapy is successful in more people over a long period of time, “it could be a paradigm shift.”
With more than 80 autoimmune diseases linked to malfunctioning immune cells, successful treatment could revolutionize patients' outcomes and quality of life. These diseases include lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and type 1 diabetes, among others.