This project was made achievable thanks to the support from our Go With Us to conferences program. AiArthritis patient leaders have been attending in person and online sessions, alongside rheumatologists and researchers, to learn more about these new treatments.
Debrief of Abstracts presented at the 2025 European Alliance of Assocations for Rheumatology congress by: Leila P.L. Valete, Health Education Manager at AiArthritis
CAR-T cell therapy is quickly becoming one of the most exciting areas of research for autoimmune and autoinflammatory arthritis diseases. What once started as an experimental treatment is now showing promising potential for people living with AiArthritis diseases, with new studies continuing to explore how it may help reset the immune system and improve quality of life.
In this post, we break down three important recent studies on CAR-T therapy and what they could mean for the future of rheumatology and the AiArthritis disease community.
While this article covers some higher-level research and scientific findings, we also offer easier-to-understand, patient-friendly resources to help break down what CAR-T therapy means for the
AiArthritis
disease community.
This poster shares early findings from the first-in-human trial using CAR-T regulatory (CAR-Treg) cells for autoimmune disease, specifically rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Unlike standard CAR-T cells that eliminate B cells, CAR-Treg cells are designed to calm down the immune system and stop it from attacking the body.
For patients, this is exciting because it shows a new approach—using CAR-Tregs to restore balance rather than destroy cells. The interim report shows the treatment was feasible and appeared safe so far, with participants tolerating therapy and no major safety concerns reported.
CAR-Treg therapy appears safe and feasible for refractory RA in early testing.
Represents a new therapeutic strategy: restoring immune tolerance rather than destroying immune cells.
More follow-up is needed to confirm long-term safety and potential clinical benefit.
The poster was produced by a team affiliated with Sonoma Biotherapeutics.
Baxter SK, Bitton A, Dubovsky JA, Jensen M, Yuan V, Do J, Gordon G, Griffith M, Massarotti E, Moreland L, Sparks J, Charrow A, Pacha O, Jaleel T, Clauw A, Gabriel O, Gyurko R, Seifert J, Beilke J, Blake ML, Fox-Bosetti S, Fromhold M, Lebrec H, O'Bryan S, Pace A, van der Vuurst de Vries AR, Wang ML, Xiao Y, Arron J, Bluestone J
This poster presents early findings on BMS-986353, a CAR-T therapy specifically developed for systemic sclerosis, a severe autoimmune disease with limited treatment options. Using a next-generation manufacturing process, the therapy aims to be more efficient and potentially safer.
The results show that patients tolerated the therapy well, with manageable side effects, and experienced signs of clinical improvement in systemic sclerosis symptoms. For patients, this is important because it demonstrates that CAR-T therapy could become a viable new treatment for a disease that currently has very few effective options.
Developed by researchers from Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) in collaboration with clinical trial investigators at University Hospital Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and partner rheumatology centers.
Dinesh Khanna, Margrit Wiesendanger, Richard Nash, Philip Mease, Anca Askanase, Elana Bernstein, Neil Kramer, Vikas Majithia, Jacques Azzi, David Korman, Krish Patel, Matthew H. Schwede, Ran Reshef, Ernesto Ayala, Alisha Desai, Griff McTume, Sharmila Das, Jerill Thorpe, Ashley Koegel, Georg Schett
This study examined what happens in the bone marrow of patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (such as lupus and related conditions) after receiving KYV-101, an anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy. The bone marrow is important because it produces the immune cells that drive autoimmune activity.
The researchers found that after CAR-T therapy, there were major changes in the bone marrow, including depletion of disease-causing B cells and early signs of immune “reset.” These findings suggest CAR-T therapy works not just in the blood but also at the source of immune cell production, which may explain why patients can enter long-lasting remission.
The poster was produced by a team affiliated with Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Kyverna Therapeutics, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, and University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
loanna Minopoulo, Artur Wilhelm, Fredrik Albach, Arnd Kleyer, Edgar Wiebe, Anja Fleischmann, Mareike Frick, Frederik Damm, Dominic Borie, Vincent Casteleyn, Robert Biesen, Thomas Dörner, Tobias Alexander, Jan Zernickel, Lukas Hinkelmann, Elpida Phithak, Norman Drzeniek, Kamran Movassaghi, Marie Luise Hütter-Krönke, Eva Schrezenmeier, Adrian Schreiber, Udo Schneider, Georg Schett, Lars Bullinger, Gerhard Krönke, Olaf Penack, David Simon
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