Cell therapy offers hope for autoimmune diseases

A new type of therapy using healthy donor cells has shown significant promise in treating severe autoimmune diseases, according to research by Shanghai Changzheng Hospital.

The findings, published Monday in the journal Cell, represent the world's first reported successful use of such an approach for autoimmune diseases.

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, which involves genetically modifying a patient's T-cells — white blood cells that are an important part of the immune system — to attack cancer cells, has revolutionized cancer treatment in recent years. This new study explores its potential for autoimmune diseases, which occur when the immune system attacks healthy tissues.