Georg Schett, MD, on Exploring CAR-T for Autoimmune Disease

This interview originally appeared on our sister site, HCPLive®.

“The relapse rate is very low, and there have been occasional relapses reported in the field by other studies, but also with low dose CAR T-cell therapy, because that was the starting dose. So, this has to be interpreted in the right way, and I would say that relapses occur, of course, nothing is 100%, but so far, it looks that most of the people enjoy a drug free remission for a long time."

Safety and some preliminary efficacy were seen in a pair of clinical studies—the CASTLE basket study and a phase 1 clinical trial for CC-97540 (Bristol Myers Squibb)—that evaluated CD19-directed chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies in patients with a variety of refractory autoimmune and rheumatic diseases. At the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence 2024 in Washington, DC, Georg Schett, MD, vice president research and chair of internal medicine at the University of Erlangen – Nuremberg, presented data from these 2 studies.

At the conference, CGTLive®'s sister site HCPLive® spoke to Schett about the findings seen in both studies and how they add to the nascent and growing literature of CAR-T therapy use in the rheumatological field, namely the diseases included in the studies – systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis, and myositis, among others. He also pointed out advantages of developing faster manufacturing processes, such as the process used to manufacture CC-97540, which reduced manufacturing time to 5 days.

Relevant disclosures for Schett include Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cabaletta, Janssen, Kyverna Therapeutics, and Novartis.

REFERENCES
1. Schett G, Littlejohn E, Kramer N, et al. A Phase 1, Multicenter, Open-Label Study to Establish the Preliminary Tolerability, Efficacy, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of CC-97540 (BMS-986353), a CD19-directed CAR T Cell Therapy Manufactured Using a Next-generation Process, for Severe, Refractory Autoimmune Diseases. Presented at: ACR Convergence 2024; November 14-19; Washington, DC. Abstract 1753
2. Schett G, Müller F, Hagen M, et al. Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of CD19 CAR-T Cell Treatment in Rheumatic Disease – Data from the First Part of the Phase I/II CASTLE Basket Study. Presented at: ACR Convergence 2024; November 14-19; Washington, DC. Abstract 1750