Clinical Research Directory

CD19 CAR-T Therapy for Refractory Childhood-Onset Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

This study is evaluating the safety and potential benefits of CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy in children and young adults with severe systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that began during childhood. The study will include up to 8 participants aged 25 years or younger whose disease remains active despite treatment with multiple immune-suppressing medicines and has affected at least one major organ. CAR-T cells will be made from each participant's own T cells and modified to recognize CD19, a protein found on B cells that contribute to SLE. Participants will receive chemotherapy to reduce existing immune cells, followed by a single intravenous infusion of SNUH-CD19-CAR-T cells. They will be monitored for side effects and changes in disease activity, organ involvement, laboratory findings, and the need for steroids or other immune-suppressing medicines. The main assessment will be performed 1 year after the CAR-T cell infusion.