CAR-T cell therapy: A new dawn in the treatment of autoimmune disease

Abstract

Autoimmune diseases (AIDs) are a class of diseases caused by autoimmune intolerance, which can be divided into systemic and organ-specific diseases. AIDs affect approximately 10% of the global population and rank among the leading causes of disability and mortality. At present, immunosuppressive agents are the first choice for the treatment of AIDs. B-cell-targeted therapies—particularly CD20 monoclonal antibodies—have brought new hope for systemic AIDs, yet a subset of patients still respond poorly. As a rapidly developing cellular immunotherapy technology, Chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) plays an important role in the treatment of hematological malignancies. CAR-T targeting B-cell-specific antigens can rapidly deplete circulating B cells, thereby reducing the formation of autoantibodies, which has become the basis for research on CAR-T in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Currently, many studies are underway, and CAR-T and its derivative therapies bring new hope for the treatment of autoimmune diseases.