Autoimmune Disease – VJRegenMed

DSG3-CAART: A novel CAAR T-cell therapy in pemphigus vulgaris

Simon Ng — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 18:00:59 +0000

Samik Basu, MD, Cabaletta Bio, Philadelphia, PA, talks on the differences between chimeric autoantibody receptor (CAAR) T-cells and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells. Unlike CD19-targeted CAR T-cells which target and kill all CD19-positive B-cells, CAAR T-cells selectively eliminate memory B-cells that give rise to plasma cells generating autoantibodies. Whilst the intracellular portion of CAAR T-cells and CAR T-cells are similar, the extracellular portion of the CAAR T-cell contains a portion of the protein targeted by the autoantibody. Dr Basu additionally outlines the design and early results of the Phase I, dose-escalation DesCAARTes trial (NCT04422912) investigating the maximum tolerated dose of DSG3-CAART, an autologous desmoglein 3 (DSG3) CAAR T-cell, in patients with mucosal-dominant pemphigus vulgaris (mPV). DSG3-CAART appears safe and a dose-dependent increase in CAAR T-cell persistence was observed within the first 29 days after infusion. This interview took place at Advanced Therapies Week 2022.

The advantages of the CABA™ platform for treating B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases

Simon Ng — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 18:00:58 +0000

Samik Basu, MD, Cabaletta Bio, Philadelphia, PA, comments on the benefits of the Cabaletta Approach to selective B cell Ablation (CABA) platform over standard of care treatments for B-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases such as rituximab or steroids, which result in broad immunosuppression which may be dangerous for patients. The CABA platform selectively eliminates specific autoantibody-producing B cells, minimizing adverse events and avoiding immunosuppression. This interview took place at Advanced Therapies Week 2022.

Future developments in targeted cell therapies for autoimmune diseases

Simon Ng — Thu, 27 Jan 2022 17:03:32 +0000

Samik Basu, MD, Cabaletta Bio, Philadelphia, PA, provides a brief overview of cell therapies under development at Cabaletta Bio for various autoimmune diseases, including muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) myasthenia gravis, and mucosal and mucocutaneous pemphigus vulgaris. Cell therapies for progressive membranous nephropathy, mediated by PLA2R-positive antibodies, are additionally under investigation. This interview took place at Advanced Therapies Week 2022.

CAR-Tregs for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus

admin_vjr_user — Fri, 31 Dec 2021 10:38:51 +0000

Chiara Bonini, MD, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University & IRCCS San Raffaele Institute, Milan, Italy, describes the rationale behind the delivery of regulatory T cells (Tregs) for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, given their ability to maintain self-tolerance and suppress the immune response. Dr Bonini also introduces ongoing research employing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) technology to redirect Treg activity, with the aim of restoring immune tolerance in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This interview took place at the European Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ESGCT) Virtual Congress 2021.