Ep 113: What is CAR-T Therapy?
AiArthritis Voices 360 Main, Full Episode 113
Air Date: September 7th 2025
This episode is a step #2, as outlined in our 6 Step Patient-Led Problem Solving Process.
CAR-T Therapy is one of the most talked about advances in autoimmune research today, offering new hope for people living with AiArthritis diseases such as lupus, myositis, scleroderma, and Sjögren’s. In this episode, co-hosts Leila P.L. Valete, AiArthritis Health Education Manager, and Tiffany Westrich-Robertson, CEO and Original Founder of AiArthritis, explain what CAR-T is, how it works, and why it matters.
They walk through the treatment process step by step from collecting a person’s own immune cells, to reprogramming them in a lab and reintroducing them so the immune system can reset. This episode highlights promising results from early clinical trials including patients reaching remission and stopping other medications, while also addressing safety, access, and what is still unknown.
Whether you’re a patient, caregiver, researcher, or advocate, this episode explains what’s happening in CAR-T research and why it could represent a major shift in how AiArthritis diseases are treated.
Episode Highlights:
- What CAR-T Therapy is and how it works with AiArthritis diseases
- Why B cells are an important target in conditions like lupus and Sjögren’s
- Early results from clinical trials showing remission and organ improvement
- Safety considerations for patients in CAR-T studies
- Who may qualify now through trials, and what wider access could look like in the future
- How to stay informed on CAR-T research
Links & Resources
- Sign up for Go With Us! to Conferences program: www.aiarthritis.org/gowithus
- Sign up for the Research Database: www.aiarthritis.org/database
- Have questions about this episode or topics you want to hear us bring to the table? Email us at podcast@aiarthritis.org
Donate to Support the Show: www.aiarthritis.org/donate
AiArthritis Voices 360 is produced by the International Foundation for Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Arthritis. Visit us on the web at
www.aiarthritis.org/talkshow. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook (@IFAiArthritis) or email us (podcast@aiarthritis.org). Be sure to check out our top-rated show on
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All our main 1st Sunday of the month episodes are either an initial "put the topic on the table" episode (Step 2 in our organization's 6-step problem solving process) or a "revisit to the table" episode (Step 6 in our organization's 6-step process), where we build on a past show because we have moved forward in developing help, tools, or projects around the issue (Step 5 in our organization's 6-step process).
After each show airs we spin off the conversation into many discussions over various formats, which we now call #360its.
Your Co-Hosts: Who is at the Table this Episode?
Leila P.L. Valete, Health Education Manager
Leila P.L. Valete is the Health Education Manager at the International Foundation for AiArthritis. She is a person living with Lupus & Sjögren's. She is passionate about inclusion and diversity in health education and meeting individuals where they are at in order to learn in a way that resonates with them. Leila is on social media as @Lupus.Lifestyle.Lei sharing bits and pieces about her life with lupus and connecting with others.
Dr. Jin Lee, Co-Founder and CEO of IMIDeology,
Tiffany is the CEO at International Foundation for AiArthritis and uses her professional expertise in mind-mapping and problem solving to help others, like her, who live with AiArthritis diseases work in unison to identify and solve unresolved community issues.
Connect with Tiffany:
Pull up your seat at the table
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What do you think about this episode?
We want to know what you think! By continuing the conversation with your opinions and perspectives - we all get a better understanding of the problems facing our community. Better yet, through these conversations we can start working and developing solutions.
We mean it when say 360. Not only do we want your input anytime and anywhere, but we also are eager to see where the conversation will take us. So please, "pull up a seat at the table" and let's start talking!
Email us at podcast@aiarthritis.org, message us on social media (find us by searching for @IFAiArthritis)
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