REVIEW article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Disorders : Autoimmune Disorders
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1613622
CAR-Based Cell Therapy for Autoimmune Diseases
Provisionally accepted
- 1Central Laboratory, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
- 2Institute of Medical Genetics and Reproductive Immunity, School of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, Jiangsu College of Nursing, Huaian, Jiangsu, China
- 3Department of Clinical Laboratory, Ningbo Medical Center Lihuili Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China
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Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-based cell therapies, initially designed for oncology, are rapidly advancing as a novel and highly targeted approach for the treatment of autoimmune diseases (AIDs). By harnessing engineered immune cells to eliminate autoreactive immune components or restore immune homeostasis, CAR-based strategies offer new avenues beyond conventional immunosuppression. In this review, we summarize current applications of CAR-T cells in autoimmune diseases, and discuss emerging approaches including CAR-Tregs, chimeric autoantibody receptor T (CAAR-T) cells, CAR-NK cells, and CAR-macrophages. We also describe advances in CAR design, including antigen selection, co-stimulatory domains, and safety control mechanisms, which are critical for improving therapeutic precision and reducing side effects. In addition, we highlight the role of synthetic biology in enabling more flexible and controllable CAR functions. Finally, we discuss the main challenges facing clinical translation, such as antigen specificity, long-term persistence, and manufacturing feasibility. These developments collectively support the potential of CAR-based therapies as a next-generation option for autoimmune disease treatment.
Keywords: Chimeric Antigen Receptor, autoimmune disease, cell therapy, Synthetic Biology, CAR-T cell
Received: 17 Apr 2025; Accepted: 05 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, He, Wang, Xu, Xie and Ying. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Chao He, Central Laboratory, Department of Clinical Laboratory, Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.