CAR T-cell therapy offers new hope for lupus patients

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (Aging Untold) — A treatment first developed to fight cancer is now being used in a clinical trial at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine to treat lupus, an autoimmune disease that affects an estimated 1.5 million Americans. What is lupus? Lupus is a lifelong autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues, which can lead to inflammation and organ damage. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the disease is difficult to diagnose due to its many signs and symptoms. Nine of 10 lupus diagnoses are in women ages 15 to 44. There is currently no cure. A patient’s two-decade battle Rachel Dib, a military wife and mother of three in North Carolina, was diagnosed with lupus in December 2007, when she was a college sophomore. At first, she said it hurt to breathe or laugh. Over time, her joints began to fail. “My thumb just like popped out of the socket. I didn’t even know what was happening. I went to lik