Scientists have managed to cure an autoimmune disease for the first time: all patients are in remission

Scientists in Germany have found a new way to treat and possibly even completely cure chronic lupus. Patients treated with a form of immunotherapy currently used to treat certain types of cancer have experienced sustained remission of their symptoms. However, more data will be needed to confirm the breakthrough study. The edition told in more detail Gizmodo.

Photo: IStock

Lupus is a complex chronic disease caused by a "naughty" immune system. It affects about 1,5 million Americans.

Autoimmune diseases are difficult to treat with medical medicine. Unfortunately, no drugs have yet been invented that can restore the proper functioning of the immune system, despite numerous studies in this direction.

There are several forms of lupus, some of which affect specific parts of the body, such as the skin. But the most common version is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which can affect almost every organ. The symptoms of SLE often vary from person to person, and it can take several years before someone knows they have lupus. However, a common feature of this condition is chronic inflammation, which can present with joint pain, fever, and skin rash.

In most cases, lupus is diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 44 and has no clear cause, although it is suspected that a person's genetics and environmental factors play an important role. As soon as symptoms appear, people tend to experience an outbreak. These flare-ups can be reduced or controlled with treatment, but there is currently no cure for lupus itself.

On the subject: Allergies and autoimmune diseases can be cured forever: scientists have found a way

The main problem with lupus is antibodies that attack healthy tissue in the body. These autoantibodies are produced by a subset of B cells, the antibody-producing mechanism of the immune system.

Currently, there are treatments for lupus that attempt to deplete the body's supply of B cells to turn off these antibodies, but to date, the effectiveness of such drugs has been limited. In recent years, bolstered by early evidence, some scientists have suggested that a form of immunotherapy known as CAR T cell therapy may be successful.

The basic concept of CAR T cell therapy is to take human T cells (immune cells trained to attack a specific target, such as a foreign microbe) and modify them in the lab to recognize the targets.

According to study author Georg Schett, an immunologist at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in Germany, the same antigen found on B cells in malignant leukemia and lymphoma can be found on B cells that produce lupus autoantibodies. This antigen is known as CD19.

In their new study, Schett and his team injected five patients with modified anti-CD19 T cells. All of their symptoms improved, none of them showed signs of internal damage associated with lupus, even after 17 months. Importantly, the patients' autoantibodies also appeared to have disappeared, perhaps forever, as the antibodies did not return once their B cells began to be replenished after an average of 100 days. As a result, patients did not need further treatment of any kind.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

“This is fundamentally different from any other treatment that has existed so far,” Schett noted.

These results could be a breakthrough in the treatment of lupus. But for now, they are still based on a very small sample size, and many questions remain about the effectiveness of the therapy, including whether these patients are indeed cured and whether it will work for other lupus patients as well.

However, there are other research groups looking into CAR-T cell therapy for lupus, so we'll have more data soon. If this study is confirmed, the therapy could not only dramatically change the prognosis for patients with lupus, but also for many people with similar autoimmune diseases.

“Our patients will be followed up for a longer time to see if they stay healthy without treatment. We want to know if they are cured or not,” Schett explained. “We will initiate a comprehensive study that will include various autoimmune diseases (lupus, myositis and systemic sclerosis) to move forward.”

Read also on ForumDaily:

Top 15 states in America where you can buy cheap housing

You can now find a doctor who accepts Medicaid and Medicare through Google: how it works

Millionaire Time Management Consultant Shares 5 Time Management Secrets That Really Work

Drinking lots of coffee is good: 3-4 cups a day may even protect against cancer

Personal experience: what it's like to work as an air traffic controller at the busiest airport in the world

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.