At the University Medical Center Magdeburg (UMMD), two patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) were treated with CAR-T cell therapy for the first time in clinical trials in cooperation with the Helios Specialist Clinic Vogelsang-Gommern . This establishes the UMMD as one of the first study centers in Germany to research this innovative approach for the treatment of severe autoimmune diseases in a controlled clinical trial. The therapy is based on genetically modified T cells that specifically fight disease-causing immune cells.

The treatment was carried out on a specially equipped CAR-T therapy unit and is part of an interdisciplinary research project that combines the fields of hematology, oncology, cell therapy, rheumatology and transfusion medicine. The studies are based on groundbreaking findings on immune cell therapy in autoimmune diseases, in which the team led by the director of the Department of Hematology, Oncology and Cell Therapy at the UMMD played a major role.

This milestone also marks the positioning of the UMMD as an official study center for cellular immunotherapies. Supported by ERDF funding as part of the ZELLTHEMA research project, the personnel and infrastructure requirements were created to carry out complex early-phase clinical trials. The aim is to clinically test modern cell therapies and to enable their approval and broad availability in the long term. The therapy could enable an immunological restart and establish itself as a promising option for autoimmune diseases that are difficult to treat.

In recent years, the UMMD has already attracted international attention with individualized healing attempts for rare autoimmune diseases such as myasthenia gravis or immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). With the start of the CAR-T studies for rheumatological autoimmune diseases, a new phase is now beginning to make cellular immunotherapies clinically available in this area as well. Patients with diseases such as SLE, systemic sclerosis, IIM or myasthenia are currently being treated in studies, with the prospect of expanding the range of courses to include other indications such as multiple sclerosis. Interested parties can contact the UMMD directly for information about possible participation in the studies.

Editor: X-Press Journalistenbüro GbR

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