Seattle Children's is the first FDA-authorized site to deliver an experimental CAR T-cell therapy to children with lupus, the system said March 11.
About 20% of lupus patients have disease onset during childhood, and pediatric lupus patients are more at risk for severe disease and worse long-term outcomes, according to a Seattle Children's news release. The most common form of lupus for children, systemic lupus erythematosus, is the target for the CAR T-cell drug candidate.
"Despite recent advances in lupus management, many patients have lupus that is resistant to current treatment regimens," the release said. "Even among treatment-responsive subjects, available medications need to be taken chronically with little expectation of durable remission off therapy."
The FDA authorized Seattle Children's to launch the clinical trial, which is named Reversing Autoimmunity through Cell Therapy and is scheduled to start this summer.