Medical breakthrough offers hope to people with stiff person syndrome
Neurologists at the Mayo Clinic have reported significant progress in treating stiff person syndrome (SPS), a rare autoimmune disorder that causes progressive body rigidity and painful spasms. The condition, which singer Céline Dion disclosed having in December 2022, has long lacked therapies capable of restoring physical function. In findings published in JAMA Neurology, researchers utilized CAR-T cell therapy, a technique borrowed from cancer care that extracts and reprograms a patient's own T cells to destroy disease-causing immune cells.
The early trial produced dramatic improvements for participants who had struggled to walk or manage daily routines. Patient Jonathan Walden returned to full-time work, hunting, and fishing without experiencing further episodes, while Shari St Germain regained mobility after enduring severe rigidity and falls.
Dr Anastasia Zekeridou of the Mayo Clinic noted that unlike existing symptomatic treatments, CAR-T helped patients return to previous activity levels, though tracking long-term durability is the next crucial step. Department chair Dr Sean Pittock and Anthony Nolan policy lead Yasmin Sheikh observed that the success suggests cell therapy could transform treatment options for a wider range of immune-mediated neurological diseases.
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