Nephrology's Next Frontier: Expanding the Reach of CAR T-Cell Therapy for Refractory Lupus Nephritis and Beyond

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has recently evolved beyond cancer therapy's boundary to treating autoimmune diseases such as lupus nephritis. In CAR T-cell therapy, the genetically engineered patient's T cells express a receptor specifically targeting antigens such as CD19, a protein found on the surface of B cells. By directing the immune system to eliminate B cells, which play a central role in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus, CAR T-cell therapy offers a novel and potent approach to resetting the immune system and achieving remission in difficult-to-treat lupus nephritis patients and many such conditions in nephrologists' practice.