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First UK Patient Receives CAR T Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis in UCLH Trial

The Phase I AUTO1-MS1 study tests whether UCL’s obe-cel can safely deplete B cells to reset immunity in multiple sclerosis.

Overview

  • Emily Henders, 37, received an autologous CAR T-cell infusion at University College London Hospital in October and reported feeling well afterward.
  • The therapy modifies the patient’s T cells to target and eliminate disease-driving B cells thought to underlie MS relapses and progression.
  • Investigators are evaluating obe-cel, a UCL-developed CAR T licensed to Autolus, which is approved for certain leukemias but remains experimental for MS.
  • The early-stage trial prioritizes safety and biological effects, plans to enroll up to 18 participants internationally, and is targeting completion of recruitment by early 2027.
  • Clinicians hope a single treatment could induce prolonged remission and reduce reliance on ongoing drugs, a goal with significant implications for more than 150,000 people living with MS in the UK.