Sustained B cell depletion by CD19-targeted CAR T cells is a highly effective treatment for murine lupus.
Rita G KansalNoah H RichardsonIndira NeeliSaleem KhawajaDamian ChamberlainMarium GhaniQurat-Ul-Ain GhaniLouisa BalazsSarka Beranova-GiorgianniFrancesco GiorgianniJames N KochenderferTony N MarionLorraine M AlbrittonMarko Z RadicPublished in: Science translational medicine (2020)
The failure of anti-CD20 antibody (Rituximab) as therapy for lupus may be attributed to the transient and incomplete B cell depletion achieved in clinical trials. Here, using an alternative approach, we report that complete and sustained CD19+ B cell depletion is a highly effective therapy in lupus models. CD8+ T cells expressing CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) persistently depleted CD19+ B cells, eliminated autoantibody production, reversed disease manifestations in target organs, and extended life spans well beyond normal in the (NZB × NZW) F1 and MRL fas/fas mouse models of lupus. CAR T cells were active for 1 year in vivo and were enriched in the CD44+CD62L+ T cell subset. Adoptively transferred splenic T cells from CAR T cell-treated mice depleted CD19+ B cells and reduced disease in naive autoimmune mice, indicating that disease control was cell-mediated. Sustained B cell depletion with CD19-targeted CAR T cell immunotherapy is a stable and effective strategy to treat murine lupus, and its effectiveness should be explored in clinical trials for lupus.
Keyphrases
- systemic lupus erythematosus
- clinical trial
- disease activity
- nk cells
- randomized controlled trial
- multiple sclerosis
- cell therapy
- cancer therapy
- metabolic syndrome
- stem cells
- single cell
- adipose tissue
- diffuse large b cell lymphoma
- oxidative stress
- mesenchymal stem cells
- smoking cessation
- newly diagnosed
- phase ii
- replacement therapy