IMQ301/302
Autoimmune diseases are conditions where an excessive immune response occurs against the body's own normal tissues and cells (autoantigens). These diseases are categorized into organ-specific autoimmune diseases (such as type 1 diabetes, Graves' disease, etc.) and systemic autoimmune diseases (including systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, etc.). The majority of current treatments aim to suppress the proliferation and function of overactive lymphocytes through immunosuppressive drugs. However, these drugs, predominantly used, lack a fundamental cure and often bring about various side effects due to their broad and nonspecific immune suppression.
The administration of externally introduced regulatory T cells aims to directly suppress the inflammatory responses and excessive activation of T cells in autoimmune disease patients. This strategy seeks to maintain the balance of the immune system without causing side effects, providing a potential approach for treating autoimmune disorders.
Autoimmune diseases exhibit four times higher incidence in females, and manifest diversely across different age groups. It is reported that around 5% of the total population in Europe and North America suffers from autoimmune diseases. Due to the high incidence of autoimmune diseases along with its significant economic burdens, there is a need for improvement in diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases.
In particular, the unclear etiology of autoimmune diseases has led to a lack of targeted therapies addressing the root cause. The current situation involves the development of pharmaceuticals targeting specific diseases rather than addressing the fundamental cause. Immunosuppressant medications are designed to reduce or inhibit the activity of the immune system and offer high therapeutic efficacy with minimal side effects. However, concerns arise regarding the long-term safety of these drugs. As they may impair the function of normal immune cells, patients with autoimmune diseases must endure a lifelong struggle against medications and their side effects. Unless new therapeutic interventions emerge, this cycle is likely to persist.
CAR-Treg therapeutics represent an immune cell-based next-generational targeted cell therapeutics for autoimmune diseases. It involves expressing receptors on regulatory T cells (Tregs) to directly target cells causing autoimmune reactions. Unlike CAR-T therapeutics, CAR-Treg therapeutics have the advantage of avoiding side effects such as 'cytokine storms' and 'neurotoxicity,' which damage normal organs and cells. Moreover, it can be applied to all autoimmune diseases.
