CAR T Therapy

Following the landmark case series by the Erlangen group, multiple cellular therapies have entered the race—each with unique targets, constructs, and mechanisms. Yet, a fundamental question remains: How deep is the B-cell depletion? In clinical practice, peripheral blood counts often serve as our surrogate for depletion. But these may only tell part of the story.

Drs. Jack Cush & Arthur Kavanaugh, two of rheumatology’s most trusted voices, provide a breakdown of the latest breakthroughs and hottest topics in rheumatology from the 2025 ACR Convergence meeting in Chicago.

Here's the last installment of our "ACR Best" abstracts as chosen by the RheumNow faculty.  Most of these were from the final, day 4, but a few were noteworthy holdovers from day 3. Enjoy!

At ACR Convergence 2025, abstract 1039 entitled, “Global Cost-Effectiveness and Equity in CAR-T Cell Therapy for Rheumatoid Arthritis” adds a critical dimension to the growing enthusiasm around cellular therapies in autoimmune disease.

Tweeting about an ACR presentation or poster is a skill and sometimes art -- one that is mastered by the RheumNow faculty roving the halls and floors for the best new insights at ACR Convergence 2025.  Below are several of the best abstracts from Day 3, as chosen by our outstanding faculty.

CAR T-cells have been a revolutionary development in rheumatology. We have seen a population of patients with severe refractory autoimmune conditions almost overnight presented with the prospect of not just improvement, but of a cure.

A transformation is now underway in rheumatology, where cellular and immune therapies are redefining how we treat autoimmune diseases.

Two pioneering studies presented at ACR Convergence 2025 spotlight the potential of CAR-T cell therapies to transform treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases. These early findings suggest a new frontier in immune modulation and long-term disease remission.