Accessibility to quality, patient-first treatment is one of the core pillars of University of Iowa Health Care, and it depends on a strong foundation of research. Hanna Zembrzuska, MD, MME, clinical assistant professor in Immunology, and Umar Farooq, MD, clinical professor in Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, and director of Cellular Therapy, have joined forces to understand how chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T cell) research might be applied to develop new treatments for a range of conditions, such as autoimmune diseases.
Farooq started the CAR-T program when he joined UI Health Care in 2014 building on his extensive knowledge of cellular therapy engineering, while Zembrzuska specializes in clinical trials related to rheumatology and autoimmunity. They began collaborating when Farooq expressed interest in cellular therapy for autoimmune diseases following the publication of a successful clinical trial to treat lupus. Empowered by the promising research, Farooq was connected to Zembrzuska by their colleague Jennifer Strouse, MD, clinical assistant professor in Immunology, and their collaboration began.
Historically, CAR-T therapy has been used as a cancer treatment, which involves genetically engineering a patient’s T cells (lymphocytes involved in immune responses) to recognize and kill cancer cells. Farooq and Zembrzuska believe its use can be expanded to help patients facing autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, inflammatory myopathy, and many more.
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakes innate cellular material for foreign matter and mounts an attack, diminishing or destroying a specific cell type. Type I diabetes is characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, for example. With the use of cellular therapy, as in CAR-T treatments, it could be possible to “reprogram” the immune system with the normal, non-destructive response.
By contrast, the existing treatments for most autoimmune diseases are often expensive, extensive, and not easily accessible. “Not everyone can travel due to caregiver issues, cost issues, or a range of things. They will be essentially left out if we don’t make these treatments more accessible,” Farooq explained. “So, we are very enthusiastic in supporting any cell therapy research and overall support, whether patients decide they want to give it a try or not. But I think it’s an important technology. It’s going to be one of the major treatments.”
“The research will help us to understand what immunotherapy is really capable of, and hopefully to expand and improve upon the existing treatments,” Zembrzuska added.
The pair agrees that the results so far have been promising, and site initiation visits have begun in preparation for two new rounds of clinical trials. With the overarching goal of increasing patient accessibility to these groundbreaking treatments, life-saving therapies could soon be closer, more efficient, and more affordable than ever before.