4th Annual CAR T-Cell Meeting Celebrates #BackToHealth Journey
The German Center for Immunotherapy (DZI) at Uniklinikum Erlangen hosted its fourth annual meeting, bringing together former autoimmune patients and their multidisciplinary treatment teams who have regained their lives thanks to groundbreaking CAR-T cell therapy. Under the motto #BackToHealth, the event focused on personal success stories and open dialogue with the doctors and researchers behind these life-changing treatments.
Autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic sclerosis and idiopathic myositis have dominated the daily lives of many participants for years, severely impairing their quality of life and sometimes even threatening their lives. CAR T cell therapy targets the misguided immune cells directly, enabling highly individualised and targeted treatment that resets the immune system. It is noteworthy that three young people have already been successfully treated in Erlangen.
A particular highlight of the event was the presentation of the world’s first treatment of an autoimmune disease using two different CAR-T cell therapies. This therapeutic approach could offer new hope for many patients for whom conventional therapies have failed.
The clinical applications are supported by a completely new form of doctor-patient communication. The virtual reality app ‘CARSLE VR – Fighting Lupus’ takes users on an immersive journey through the human body. In a medically supervised mode, disease mechanisms and the mechanism of action of the therapy are clearly explained. A standalone single-player version has been designed for use in educational institutions and for individual knowledge expansion by patients. An accompanying clinical study is investigating the influence of virtual reality on education, doctor-patient communication and decision-making confidence.
Further Informationen:
DZI-Geschäftsstelle
Tel.: +49 (0)9131 85-44944
dzi-leitung@uk-erlangen.de