DRUG TRIAL FOR 'CURE' TO LUPUS

Therapy could revolutionise patients' lives

- MARTIN BAGOT

THE first British patients are trialling a "groundbreaking" drug to cure autoimmune conditions such as lupus and multiple sclerosis.

Until now, CAR T-cell therapy has only been available in the UK for cancer patients but three people are now receiving it for lupus.

Medics hope the one-time treatment, which genetically modifies the immune system to attack problem cells, could prevent life-threatening damage to the heart, lungs, brain or kidneys.

In lupus, B cells become overactive and produce autoantibodies that attack healthy cells. It causes swollen joints, fevers, hair loss, stomach pain and can lead to kidney failure. CAR-T therapy works by genetically modifying T cells to target and eliminate these B cells.