Abstract
Autoimmune diseases (AID) are disorders in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own tissues. However, current immunosuppressive therapies seldom achieve durable, drug-free remission, indicating the urgent need for therapeutic strategies that are both more precise and longer-lasting. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) -T cells are generated by genetically engineering T cells to specifically recognize and kill cells that express particular antigens, thereby providing a novel therapeutic approach for AID. This review summarizes the immunological mechanisms of CAR-T cells and -regulatory T cells (Treg) in treating AID, and systematically reviews the latest advances in applying these treatments to rheumatic AID, immune-mediated neurological AID, and refractory autoimmune hemolytic anemia, among others. Further, we discuss the safety-related limitations of CAR-T /CAR-Treg treatment for AID, and outline other CAR-based cellular therapies that can be used to treat AID beyond CAR-T and CAR-Treg cells.