DENVER, Colo. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — More than 50 million Americans live with autoimmune diseases — conditions in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body it’s supposed to protect. For many, treatment can mean years of medications to quiet that attack. But now, doctors are testing something far more aggressive: ways to reset or even replace the immune system itself.
Diana Yeauger Espinoza, living with Lupus, says, “I’ve noticed weight gain, fatigue, joint pain.”
For people living with autoimmune disease, the body’s own defense system turns against them.
“I woke up and couldn’t breathe, couldn’t catch my breath, couldn’t carry on a conversation. It was immediate,” recalls Lynn Bishop, surviving with Scleroderma.
Emily Wegmann, living with Rheumatoid Arthritis, says, “I couldn’t even get myself dressed. I couldn’t do my hair.”
Lupus. Scleroderma. Rheumatoid arthritis. Autoimmune disease isn’t just one illness; it’s a long list of conditions. But for some patients who have failed standard treatments, researchers are testing something very different: not just suppressing the immune system but trying to rebuild it.
Richard Nash, MD, at Colorado Blood Cancer Institute/ HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St Luke’s says, “The reason people are excited right now is that some of these treatments can be highly effective and we may be getting durable responses, allowing patients to come off their treatment.”
One approach uses CAR-T cell therapy, a treatment first developed for blood cancers. Doctors collect a patient’s own immune cells, reengineer them, and infuse them back into the body in hopes of shutting down the misguided immune attack.
Doctor Nash told Ivanhoe, “Some of the responses they’ve seen have been in patients who failed other therapies. There have been deep responses.”
Researchers are also studying donor transplant approaches — trying to replace the misfiring immune system, not just quiet it.
“We’re basically giving that individual, that patient, a new immune system from a donor that doesn’t have an autoimmune process,” explains Doctor Nash.
For patients who’ve spent years chasing relief, these new treatments could mean long-term remission, fewer medications and a better life.
Doctor Nash says, “I think there’s a lot of hope.”
These treatments are still in clinical trials — and they’re not for everyone. They’re intensive, expensive, and right now mostly reserved for patients with severe disease who have run out of other options.
Contributors to this news report include: Marsha Lewis, Producer; Matt Goldschmidt, Videographer; & Chuck Bennethum, Editor.
Sources:
hhttps://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12819979/
* For More Information, Contact:
Sarah Wright, Clinical Research Project Manager
Colorado Blood Cancer Institute (CBCI)
HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke’s
303-577-6488
And
Cat Booher, Sr. Clinical Research Coordinator
Colorado Blood Cancer Institute (CBCI)
HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke’s
Catelyn.booher@hcahealthone.com
303-577-6480
