| abstract |
The invention relates to a chimeric autoantibody receptor (CAAR) that enables targeting of an immune cell to autoantibody producing B cells. The CAAR comprises an autoantigen or fragment thereof that is bound by autoantibodies associated with a neurological autoimmune disease primarily targeting the central nervous system. The invention relates to a nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric autoantibody receptor (CAAR), the nucleic acid molecule comprising a sequence encoding an autoantigen or fragment thereof that is bound by autoantibodies associated with a neurological autoimmune disease primarily targeting the central nervous system, a sequence encoding a transmembrane domain, and a sequence encoding an intracellular signaling domain. In one embodiment, the autoantigen encoded by the nucleic acid sequence comprises or consists of an N- methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), or one or more NMDAR fragments. The invention further relates to the chimeric autoantibody receptor (CAAR) protein of the invention, a vector comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding a chimeric autoantibody receptor (CAAR) of the invention, a genetically modified immune cell comprising the nucleic acid molecule encoding the CAAR and the use of the immune cell in the treatment or prevention of a neurological autoimmune disease primarily targeting the central nervous system, such as an autoimmune encephalopathy or encephalomyelopathy, preferably anti-NMDAR encephalitis. |