How a Revolutionary Cancer Treatment Could Reset the Immune Systems of Patients With Autoimmune Diseases
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Researchers are exploring CAR T-cell therapy as a potential treatment for autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis. This innovative approach involves modifying a patient's own T cells to target and eliminate rogue immune cells. While the therapy shows promise, there are concerns about its long-term effectiveness and potential side effects.
- ▪CAR T-cell therapy is being tested for autoimmune conditions such as lupus and multiple sclerosis.
- ▪The treatment involves reprogramming a patient's T cells to attack cells that the immune system mistakenly targets.
- ▪There are uncertainties regarding the long-term benefits and risks associated with CAR T therapy for autoimmune diseases.
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How a Revolutionary Cancer Treatment Could Reset the Immune Systems of Patients With Autoimmune Diseases Researchers are testing CAR T-cell therapy as a treatment for lupus, Graves’ disease and other conditions in which the body’s defenses go rogue Amber Dance, Knowable Magazine May 18, 2026 8:00 a.m. ShareCopy linkEmailSMSFacebookXRedditLinkedInBlueskyPrintAdd as preferred source CAR-T cells are a patient's own T cells, a form of white blood cell, that have been genetically modified to recognize and destroy certain cancer or autoimmune cells that might otherwise be tolerated by the immune system. Nemes Laszlo/Science Photo Library/Getty Images At 49, Jan Janisch-Hanzlik’s multiple sclerosis was destroying her freedom to live the life she wanted.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Smithsonian Magazine.
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