'Exciting' new lupus treatment could end need for lifelong medication [View all]

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/nov/08/exciting-new-lupus-treatment-could-end-need-for-lifelong-medication

Doctors are hailing a “groundbreaking” new treatment for lupus that genetically modifies a patient’s cells to fight the autoimmune disease and could end the need for lifelong medication.

Lupus can range from mild to severe, with symptoms including joint pain, skin problems, fatigue and inflammation of major organs. Patients often have to take drugs their whole lives, ranging from ibuprofen to steroid tablets and injections, or other immunosuppressant or biological medicines.
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In the UK, three patients have received CAR T-cell therapy for the most serious form of lupus, which can be life-threatening and cause damage to the heart, lungs, brain and kidneys. In Germany, patients who have had the new treatment are now in remission and do not need to take lupus drugs.
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It works by genetically modifying cells to enable the body’s own immune system to recognise and attack problem cells, offering people a possible cure.
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