Trial explores how to fight kidney disease lupus with gene therapy and CAR-T

MADRID. Lupus is a chronic disease that attacks the immune system and affects several organs, primarily in young women. Lupus impairs quality of life with symptoms such as fatigue, weight loss, or joint pain. It is currently treated with anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, or immunosuppressants.

A serious consequence of this disease is refractory lupus nephritis, a progressive inflammation of the kidneys that is resistant to conventional treatment and can lead to chronic kidney disease and require dialysis or transplantation.

To combat this disease, the Clinic of the University of Navarra is leading a project of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation, whose goal is to find a safe and effective treatment for this serious disease. “We cannot overestimate the relevance of this therapeutic advance, since a young woman on dialysis has a life expectancy reduced by 44 years, while with a kidney transplant it increases to 22 years,” says Dr. Alberto Ortiz, head of the nephrology service of the Jiménez Díaz Foundation and a researcher in the project.

The aim is to use gene therapy using CAR T cells, a type of immune therapy that uses the patient’s own T cells, genetically modified in the lab. Dr. Jose Maria Mora, a nephrology specialist at the clinic, explains that “with this treatment, we aim to boost these modified cells to fight this disease in a personalized and precise way.” “This will allow us to offer a new perspective in the treatment of the disease.”

Participating researchers from more than 40 hospitals in Spain, including Dr. Jorge Rojas Rivera, a renowned specialist in lupus nephritis and one of the main promoters, have created a consortium called CART-NEL, which operates independently of the pharmaceutical industry and aims to promote innovative treatments developed in national laboratories. “This approach will reduce the costs of developing treatments and increase access for patients,” says Dr. Mora.

The research team is made up of professionals from different specialties and includes the joint participation of three national research networks (RICORS 2040-Kidney Diseases Network, Inflammatory Diseases Network and RICORS TERAV for Advanced Therapies). The project, which has funding of more than one million euros, provided by the Carlos III Institute of Health, is expected to be carried out over four years.