Chinese scientists’ cell therapy jab may treat asthma, keeping it at bay long term with a single shot: study
- Team finds a single infusion of engineered cells without pre-treatment can suppress lung inflammation and relieve asthma symptoms in mice
- However, others warn more work is needed on feasibility and safety before modified cells can be used in clinics
Chinese scientists say an immunotherapy treatment widely used in the fight against cancer has shown potential for non-cancer diseases, and a single shot can provide long-term protection against asthma.
Asthma, the most prevalent respiratory disease, affects more than 300 million people worldwide and causes more than 250,000 deaths a year.
Clinically, it is characterised by intermittent symptoms of coughing, wheezing, chest pain and shortness of breath because of airway obstruction. But no therapy can induce lasting remission with just one dose.
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According to Peng Min and his colleagues, most of whom are from the School of Basic Medical Sciences at Tsinghua University, asthma in around half of patients is driven by a group of cytokines, including IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13.
Cytokines are signalling proteins that help control inflammation in the body, but too many cytokines can lead to excessive inflammation and conditions such as autoimmune diseases. Currently, biological medical products that target these proteins are approved to treat severe asthma, but they require lifelong dosing.
In their latest study, Peng’s team developed a new way to target this group of cytokines simultaneously with a cell treatment called CAR-T.
CAR-T, which stands for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, works by genetically engineering a patient’s own killer T-cells – a type of white blood cell critical for fighting infection – to recognise and destroy enemies, such as cancer cells. This new form of immunotherapy has successfully treated some blood cancers.