NEW: Four in every five patients suffering from autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, myositis or multiple sclerosis, are women. In the worst cases, sufferers can face multiple organ failure and have their lives tragically cut short.
But there's hope - in the form of Car-T, a cell therapy approved to treat some blood cancers, which German rheumatologist Prof Georg Schett has redeployed as a treatment for autoimmune diseases, with remarkable results. 14 out of 15 of Schett's patients are in drug-free remission, with his first patient about to cross the five-year milestone.
“Dr Schett saved my life,” said Janina Paech, a 24-year-old lupus sufferer who has been in remission since receiving a Car-T, or chimeric antigen receptor cell therapy.
But while Schett has renewed excitement about Car-T’s potential after it was first approved for certain blood cancers in 2017, his research has revived debates about safety, manufacturing constraints and cost surrounding the treatment.
Only 35,000 lymphoma and leukaemia patients have been treated with Car-T in the US since its approval seven years ago. In comparison, an estimated 204,000 Americans have systemic lupus erythematosus, a severe form of the disease.
I wrote about how biotechs like Cabaletta Bio, Kyverna Therapeutics and Allogene Therapeutics are trying to replicate Schett's success, and how startups like Cellares and Ori Biotech are confronting Car-T's manufacturing challenges.
With input from Jason C. Foster, Georg Schett, Fabian Gerlinghaus, Peter Maag, Steven Nichtberger, MD, Yatin Suneja and many others.