A single IV treatment retrains immune cells to fight autoimmune diseases in early trial
CAR T-cell therapy is an immune-reprogramming procedure that turns a patient's own immune cells into cancer-fighting specialists. The entire process is complex, but researchers have now found a faster way to achieve similar effects using a single intravenous (IV) drip of a harmless engineered virus.
CAR T-cell therapy reprograms a patient's immune cells to target cancer cells. This process, however, is complex and expensive, involving extraction, laboratory modification, and administration of genetically engineered T cells. Researchers have now developed a new off-the-shelf treatment, JY231, which can achieve similar results using a single intravenous (IV) infusion of a harmless engineered virus.
This treatment was tested in a clinical trial involving sixteen patients with severe autoimmune conditions, including neurological and muscle diseases. After receiving the single IV infusion, all patients generated CAR-T cells that multiplied and traveled throughout the body, effectively targeting and eliminating the specific markers causing their autoimmune conditions.
The treatment resulted in significant improvements in symptoms and biological markers for all patients within six months, with no severe nerve-related side effects observed. Although cytokine release syndrome, a mild immune reaction, occurred in about 69% of patients, it was short-lived and resolved within two weeks. Researchers see these early results as promising proof of concept for treating hard-to-treat autoimmune diseases of the nervous system, but larger trials with longer follow-up are needed to confirm long-term applicability and safety.
Written by urgent.news from Medical Xpress's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
