ABSTRACT
The early chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies were developed to target cancers, particularly to those B cell hematologic malignancies that occur during childhood. This chapter focuses on one of the skin diseases caused by autoantibodies, those mediated by autoimmune B cells. The most common entities of this group of diseases are two autoimmune blistering diseases—pemphigus vulgaris and bullous pemphigoid—which are targeted by autoantibodies against epidermal cell surface components and epidermal-dermal junction components, respectively. Pemphigus vulgaris is manifested clinically as a superficial blistering disease. Anti-desmoglein 1–specific chimeric autoantibody receptor-T cells will also be a perfect living medication to treat patients affected by pemphigus foliaceus, which is mediated by autoantibodies to desmoglein 1 only. The treatment schedule is important to establish in light of the prohibitive cost of this living medication, as a single dose of CD19-specific CAR-T cell treatment for hematologic B cell lymphoma costs approximately $40,000.
