# Cancer Therapy CAR T-Cells Put Severe Rheumatoid Arthritis Into Remission

*2026-08-30 22:01 UTC · Science · 1 min read*

> A Phase 1 trial at Charité Berlin shows CAR T-cell therapy, adapted from cancer treatment, can put severe treatment-resistant rheumatoid arthritis into medication-free remission.

A Phase 1 trial at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin has shown that CAR T-cell therapy, originally developed to fight blood cancers, can drive severe, treatment-resistant rheumatoid arthritis into remission. The COMPARE trial treated six patients aged 31 to 69 whose disease had failed up to eight prior therapies.

Doctors extracted each patient's T cells, genetically engineered them to target the CD19 marker found on disease-driving B cells, and reinfused them to "reset" the immune system. All six patients saw a marked reduction in disease activity, and three achieved medication-free remission; only mild-to-moderate cytokine release syndrome was observed, with no severe side effects reported. One patient's disease returned after an initial remission.

Researchers noted that when the B-cell population later recovered, it was made up mostly of naive, non-disease-causing cells, while the harmful autoimmune cells remained undetectable in nearly all patients. The team now plans a Phase 2 trial comparing CAR T-cell therapy against existing B-cell-targeting drugs in ten additional patients. The results were published in Nature Medicine.

## Sources

- [sciencedaily.com](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260828082330.htm)
- [news-medical.net](https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260603/CAR-T-cell-therapy-shows-promise-for-treating-rheumatoid-arthritis.aspx)

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TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2284-cancer-therapy-car-t-cells-put-severe-rheumatoid-arthritis-into-remission
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2357-terapie-car-t-bunkami-z-lecby-rakoviny-navodila-remisi-tezke-revmatoidni