Yasmin is still a bit stunned. It still seems so unreal to the young woman that she has been cured of her serious autoimmune disease. She has suffered from SLE, systemic lupus erythematosus, for ten years. The many therapies and medications have had no long-term effect. Until now.
What is SLE?
In SLE, the immune system attacks the body’s own healthy cells, thus dissolving them. Inflammatory reaction which can cause organ damage. Yasmin’s kidneys were recently so badly damaged that they nearly failed. In addition, the 17-year-old was in severe pain and was generally so exhausted that she was unable to cope with normal daily life.
“Armed” defense cells in the laboratory
Yasmin’s life has changed since then CAR T-cell therapy six months ago has changed completely. It is an immunotherapy that is already effective in treating some types of cancer. However, it is currently only used in studies for autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus. Yasmin is one of three young people who have so far been treated for the disease at the University Hospital of Erlangen.
With the help of this therapy, Yasmin’s immune system was, so to speak, rebooted by taking her own T cells and altering them in the laboratory using a so-called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). Back in Yasmin’s body, the cells “armed” in this way were able to recognize and kill the B cells, which in Yasmin’s case were harmful.
Medication had no effect
The CAR-T cells have left Yasmin’s body again, reports Silvia Spörl, professor of hematology and oncology at Erlangen University Hospital. “The CAR-T cells have done their job and restored the immune system’s tolerance. This effect remains in the long term,” says the 17-year-old patient.
The blood values show a significant improvement in her health over the past six months, says the head of pediatric rheumatology, Dr. Tobias Krickau, who is pleased. He has been treating Yasmin at the University Hospital Erlangen for ten years. “In the past, Yasmin had to take many medications, none of which had a lasting effect. It was only the CAR-T cell therapy that made the lupus no longer detectable in the laboratory or in clinical examinations,” says Dr. Krickau.
Pilot study gives hope
However, there is still no long-term experience in treating SLE with CAR-T cells. The therapy for this disease is still very new and is in the research phase. The team of doctors and scientists from Erlangen led by Prof. Mackensen (hematology and internal oncology) and Prof. Georg Schett (rheumatology and immunology) published the pilot study on systemic lupus in the renowned New England Journal of Medicine at the beginning of the year. In addition, the team from Erlangen University Hospital recently reported another successfully completed treatment in the medical journal “The Lancet”.
Make plans for the future
This gives those affected hope that with the help of this immunotherapy they can return to a completely normal life, just like Yasmin. The young woman is now physically strong again and can swim, walk longer distances and no longer feels pain.
Yasmin is making plans again and wants to finish school and study midwifery. Successful treatment means she can believe in a future again.