Personalised Cell Therapy Reverses Multiple Autoimmune Diseases

A personalised immune cell therapy has successfully treated three life-threatening autoimmune diseases in a single patient, offering new hope for tackling complex immune disorders.

“She was deathly sick and bedridden at the time we met her… we treated her, and seven days later, she got out of bed,” said Fabian Müller, who led the treatment at University Hospital Erlangen in Germany.

The therapy used re-engineered CAR T cells designed to target faulty B cells, which were driving all three conditions. The patient, who had previously tried nine unsuccessful treatments and required daily blood transfusions, showed rapid improvement, with her immune system stabilising within weeks and all three diseases entering remission. Over 11 months of follow-up, she needed no further treatment, her blood markers remained stable, and she returned to normal daily life. CAR T therapies are already approved for certain cancers, and this case highlights their potential to reset the immune system in autoimmune diseases, potentially preventing long-term organ damage and reducing reliance on lifelong medication.