‘Groundbreaking’ trial offers new lupus treatment – but what is the disease?

Three patients in the UK have received “groundbreaking” new treatment for lupus, in a trial which experts hope could remove the need for lifelong drugs.
Around 69,000 people in the UK are thought to have the condition, which mostly affects women.
Researchers are trialling the use of cell therapy used in cancer treatment, in the hope it could offer a possible cure for those with the illness.
But what is lupus, what are the signs, and how could the new treatment work?
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What is lupus?
Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease. Cases can range from mild to severe, with sufferers managing joint pain, skin problems, fatigue and inflammation of organs.
People often take drugs for life if they have lupus, ranging from ibuprofen to steroid tablets and injections, or other immunosuppressant or biological medicines.
What are the symptoms of lupus?
According to the NHS, those with lupus may experience pain in their joints and muscles and “extreme tiredness that will not go away no matter how much you rest”.
Other symptoms may include headaches, mouth ulcers, hair loss, a high temperature, weight loss, swollen glands and chest pain.
People with lupus may also get rashes over the nose and cheeks that usually come on after being in the sun.
Symptoms are known to come in flare-ups, which may last a few weeks.
How does the new treatment cure lupus?
Researchers are testing out the use of CAR T-cell therapy as a treatment for lupus – something that has previously only been used on cancer patients.
The therapy works by genetically modifying cells to enable the body’s own immune system to recognise and attack problem cells, offering people a possible cure.
Those leading the new trial, from University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH) and University College London (UCL), believe the technique could be used to help treat a range of illnesses, including lupus and multiple sclerosis.
Professor Ben Parker, consultant rheumatologist and study lead at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, said: “Ultimately, it offers a very radical treatment for lupus.
“What currently is available are treatments that suppress the immune system, that you have to continually take, that are partially effective in most people, very effective in a few people and ineffective in a substantial number of patients with lupus.“The CAR T treatment offers something very different. In those people who’ve received it, they have been able to stop their immunosuppression after receiving CAR T and remain in what’s called drug-free remission.”
People undergoing CAR T require a 10-day hospital stay. Possible side-effects include their immune system being very susceptible to infection for several weeks, or another condition that causes the immune system to go into overdrive.
Will CAR T work?
Early indications are that the therapy, which is administered only once, could take away the need for those with lupus to carry on taking medicine.In Germany, patients who underwent CAR T cell therapy more than a year ago are now in remission and do not need to take lupus drugs.
Patients in the new study will be followed up for 15 years to fully assess the effect of the treatment.
Who is being treated on the trial?
The first British patient is a 32-year-old mother called Katherine. She was treated at the National Institute for Health and Care Research Manchester Clinical Research Facility in July.
Katherine said: “I cried happy tears going home from that trial appointment, thinking that there was a chance I could wake up every morning without pain, being able to do things like play with my daughter, and imagining all the possibilities of living a somewhat normal life – it felt amazing.”
Two other UK patients have undergone treatment at UCLH. One of them, 50-year-old Katie Tinkler, received CAR T on Wednesday this week.
Mrs Tinkler, a mother of three from Guildford, has had lupus for 30 years and suffers debilitating symptoms including joint pain and kidney disease.
“If this works, it’s life-changing,” she said. “Up until now, there’s never been anything for lupus that is a possible cure. The dream is to be lupus-free – that would be phenomenal.”
Famous people with lupus include actress and singer Selena Gomez, who has spoken about how it affects her, and singer Paula Abdul.
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