Breakthrough in Lupus Treatment: Bioray Biotech's Universal CAR-T Therapy Enables Patients to Discontinue All Conventional Medications

Apr 23, 2024 19:11 CST Updated 19:11

BRL Medicine

Cell and Gene Therapy Drug Developer

On the journey of life, there are always some individuals who battle against illness, writing one heartwarming and inspiring story after another with resilience and courage, bringing infinite comfort and positive energy to their fellow patients and those who care about them.。

Suffering from Lupus, Life Devastated

The patient's name is Li Ting.(Pseudonym), a beautiful and strong girl from the distant and picturesque Xinjiang. She used to have a happy and harmonious family, and a job she loved. However, in 2011, she was diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus. The sudden onset of lupus, like a heavy stone, crushed her world. Recurrent fever, rashes, joint swelling and pain, and hair loss drastically reduced Li Ting's quality of life. In recent years, the progression of the disease, accompanied by nephritis and encephalopathy, has made her health deteriorate further. She had to give up her beloved job and now spends her days battling the illness. In June 2023, Li Ting developed severe lupus nephritis, with significantly increased urine protein and generalized edema. Only through hospitalization and high-dose steroid "pulse therapy" was she able to find relief. This has once again caused serious harm to Li Ting’s body.。

As the Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of MedicineLin JinAs the director said, systemic lupus erythematosus is a serious autoimmune disease. In recent years, although the long-term survival of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus has improved, inevitable disease relapses and the resulting irreversible organ damage remain significant causes of mortality. Their mortality rate is 3-4 times that of the general population. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new treatment methods to achieve sustained remission, control organ damage, improve long-term survival, and even achieve a complete cure.。

Difficult Treatment, Gaining a "Cure" Opportunity

Faced with the disease, Li Ting did not choose to give up. With the support of her family, she actively underwent various treatments, including medications such as Prednisone, Mycophenolate Mofetil, Hydroxychloroquine, Cyclophosphamide, Tacrolimus, and Belimumab, but the effects were less than ideal. The drugs could only temporarily alleviate her symptoms and were unable to cure the disease. In particular, the long-term use of immunosuppressants and hormones placed a heavy burden on her body and organs. Every time she saw her increasingly haggard face in the mirror, Li Ting’s heart was filled with endless sadness and despair.

It was at this moment that she learnedThe First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of MedicineThe Department of Hematology and the Department of Immunology and Rheumatology are collaborating.BRL Medicine Inc.Launch a novel cell therapy technology——Targeting CD19 Universal CAR-T Cell Therapy for Refractory Lupus ErythematosusThis technology combats autoimmune diseases such as lupus by depleting and suppressing the patient's autoreactive immune cells and rebuilding the immune system. Although this technique is still in the clinical trial stage, it has already achieved some exciting results. Li Ting decided to seize this opportunity and fight for her life.。

UCAR-T Cell Therapy Gives Patients a New Lease on Life

After a series of rigorous inspections and evaluations, Li Ting was finally selected to participate in the clinical trial. The trial drug that Li Ting participated in was the CD19-targeted universal CAR-T cell developed by BRL Medicine, which is based on BRL Medicine's self-developed universal cell platform.（TyUCell®）DevelopedThe All-New UCAR-T Product，Fully modified allogeneic immune cells through gene editing technology, effectively avoiding the potential risks of GvHD and HvG in allogeneic cell transplantation.Compared with autologous CAR-T, this clinical study uses blood samples from healthy donors for production, eliminating the need for prior collection of autologous cells, allowing for immediate use. It demonstrates definitive clinical efficacy, high safety, and further reduces potential clinical risks due to a lower dose of lymphodepletion chemotherapy compared to autologous CAR-T.。

After the infusion of universal CAR-T cells into Li Ting's body, a miraculous change occurred—her condition began to show significant improvement, and no severe adverse reactions such as infections were observed.Her hair loss, erythema, edema, proteinuria, hematuria, and joint pain significantly improved, with the SLEDAI score decreasing from 18 before treatment to 0. She gradually discontinued all hormones and immunosuppressants!More importantly, Li Ting's mental state has been completely refreshed. She has rediscovered the joy of work and met many like-minded friends.

Figure: Li Ting actively participating in social public welfare activities after recovery

Li Ting's own experience tells us that although lupus erythematosus has brought endless pain and trouble to our lives, we cannot give up hope and effort because of it. The universal CAR-T cell therapy technology has brought us new hope. As long as we maintain confidence and face it positively, we will surely welcome our own rebirth.

As the PI of this clinical project, the Department of Hematology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of MedicineTong HongyanThe director said, "CAR-T cell therapy has made revolutionary progress in hematologic tumors, transforming the treatment landscape for blood cancers. More excitingly, lupus erythematosus may respond even better to CAR-T cell therapy than hematologic tumors, potentially becoming the next stubborn disease that humanity conquers with CAR-T. Li Ting is our first case of refractory lupus erythematosus treated with universal CAR-T cell therapy, having developed resistance to existing marketed drugs. However, after CAR-T treatment, her clinical symptoms quickly improved, and she was able to discontinue all hormone and immunosuppressive medications. As we expected, BRL Medicine's universal CAR-T cells proved safe and effective for refractory lupus erythematosus. Are T cells from healthy donors more advantageous? Is it better for CAR-T cells to persist longer in the body? What price range is appropriate for patients? These are questions we need to address in our next phase of research. Only by solving these problems can we develop truly practical and implementable cell therapies for patients with lupus erythematosus."

May every lupus patient be able to regain the color and hope of life with the help of cell therapy, just like Li Ting. Let us work together for a better tomorrow!

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