CAR T’s next act: autoimmune diseases

It’s becoming clear that CAR T cell therapies have clinical activity — and possibly even curative potential — in autoimmune diseases. Companies are racing to figure out how to optimize the modality for these new indications, as well as how to design clinical trials to make the case for approval, reimbursement and adoption in a setting very different from advanced cancer.

Autoimmune diseases were almost entirely absent from CAR T pipelines just two years ago. With intensive therapeutic protocols that carry high costs and high risks of serious adverse events, the modality was considered most appropriate for late-stage cancers without alternative treatments...