German researchers have developed and tested CAR-T cells using serum from patients with myasthenia gravis:
- this novel cell therapy aimed to enable effector cells to recognise the alpha-1 and beta-1 subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (NAChR),
- this led to a depletion of the B lymphocytes responsible for producing autoantibodies against the nAChR,
- a consequent reduction in circulating anti-nAChR autoantibodies was observed, as was a lower presence of these antibodies at the neuromuscular junction itself.
This work perfectly illustrates the great potential of this approach combining cell and gene therapies in refractory forms of RAch-related myasthenia gravis. The next steps will involve testing the method on patients themselves.
