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<\/p>\nTurbocharged \u2018killer\u2019 cells show promise for autoimmune disease<\/p>\n
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The depletion of her red blood cells required repeat blood transfusions \u2014 an average of one and as many as three bags a day. A loss of platelets increased the risk of uncontrolled bleeding, and a loss of fat-binding proteins made the blood more prone to clotting. The flaws in the immune system that make one autoimmune disease possible can also increase the likelihood of a second, says M\u00fcller, but the woman was the first person he had seen with three such diseases.<\/p>\n
That combination \u201ccan kill you very rapidly\u201d, says June. \u201cUsually, there\u2019s no cure other than treatment with long-term, high-dose steroids,\u201d which broadly dampen the body\u2019s immune system, boosting the risks of infection.<\/p>\n
But because steroids and more advanced immunosuppressive medication failed to control her symptoms, says M\u00fcller, the woman was driven for 3 hours in an ambulance to his clinic, which has developed a reputation for manufacturing engineered immune cells called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells for one-off treatments. \u201cIt was her last chance,\u201d says M\u00fcller, \u201cfor controlling the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n
Medication-free<\/h2>\n
For treatment with CAR T cells, the recipient\u2019s own natural T cells are isolated and then engineered to attack and kill a specific target efficiently. Because CAR T cells are living cells that can divide, they can be effective for years and, sometimes, a decade<\/a> after being infused back into the recipient.<\/p>\n The researchers harvested the woman\u2019s T cells and engineered them to attack a protein found only on B cells. Within a month of receiving the CAR-T treatment and two chemotherapy drugs that also kill fast-dividing immune cells, the woman had normal levels of red blood cells.<\/p>\n Why autoimmunity is most common in women<\/p>\n <\/a><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/media.nature.com\/w400\/magazine-assets\/d41586-026-01108-4\/d41586-026-01108-4_19343350.jpg\"\/)
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