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If you keep an eye on MS research, you may have heard chatter about CAR-T cell therapy for multiple sclerosis — a potential new treatment that’s creating a lot of buzz.
Unlike most MS medications that quiet your immune system, this one aims to retrain it. It’s still in the research phase, but early results are giving doctors (and people with MS!) real reason to feel hopeful.
CAR-T therapy is different because it’s designed to reset the immune system instead of suppressing it. It’s an exciting step toward more targeted treatment options. Today, I’ll walk you through what it is, what we know so far, and why it’s getting so much attention.
By the way, have we met? I’m Dr. Gretchen, an MS-Specialized Physical Therapist and founder of The MSing Link — an online wellness program, podcast, and book. My goal is to help people with MS move better, feel stronger, and stay informed about the latest in MS research and wellness.
What Is CAR-T Cell Therapy?
If you’ve been living with MS for a while, you know that most disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) work by suppressing or modulating your immune system. They calm inflammation but can’t fully stop the immune system from attacking the nerves.
CAR-T cell therapy, short for chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, takes a different approach. Instead of suppressing your immune system, CAR-T therapy reprograms your immune cells so they no longer target your own body.
Researchers are studying how this approach could stop the immune attack at its root, protecting the nerves (and the myelin sheath that surrounds them) from further damage. For many of my patients with MS who feel frustrated by lifelong medication cycles or relapses, this gives us a completely new way of thinking about MS treatment.
How CAR-T Cell Therapy Works for MS
To understand how CAR-T cell therapy works, it helps to look at what’s happening inside your body. In multiple sclerosis, the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective covering around your nerves (your myelin). CAR-T therapy is designed to change that.
Here’s how it works:
- Doctors collect your own immune T cells through a simple blood draw.
- In a lab, scientists modify those cells by adding a “GPS” receptor called a CAR (chimeric antigen receptor).
- That receptor teaches your T cells to find and remove the specific B cells that trigger MS-related inflammation.
- Those modified cells are then reintroduced into your body, where they begin the job of retraining your immune system.
The idea isn’t to weaken your immune system but to reset it so it stops attacking the myelin and maintains a healthier balance. In early MS research, this has led to amazing possibilities, including the potential for a single treatment session to produce lasting effects.
Looking at the Latest CAR-T Trials
At this point, you might be wondering if anyone’s actually received CAR-T cell therapy for MS yet. The answer? YES, and it’s making headlines around the world.
In September 2025, researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center treated the world’s first MS patient with an off-the-shelf CAR-T therapy called azercabtagene zapreleucel (azer-cel).
Unlike traditional, patient-specific CAR-T therapy, this newer version uses healthy donor cells that can be produced in batches and given to multiple patients. Because of that, it may one day make advanced cell therapies faster, more consistent, and more accessible.
In that Nebraska trial, a 49-year-old woman with progressive MS noticed improvements in walking, balance, and energy within two months. It’s still early (this Phase 1 study is focused on safety, not proven effectiveness), but the progress is encouraging.
Just a month later, in October 2025, a 37-year-old woman in the UK became the first British patient to receive CAR-T therapy for MS at University College London Hospitals (UCLH). This personalized treatment, called obecabtagene autoleucel (obe-cel), reprograms a patient’s own immune cells to target and eliminate the B cells that drive the autoimmune attack in MS.
UCLH researchers hope this single-treatment approach could slow or even halt disease progression. For years, most MS treatments have targeted inflammation outside the brain and spinal cord. CAR-T’s ability to reach deeper and address the trapped inflammation that drives progression could finally change that.
How Is CAR-T Different From Current MS Treatments?
If you’ve been on or looked into DMTs, you already know how tricky the treatment landscape can be. Some medications are taken daily, others are infusions every few months. Most aim to suppress parts of the immune system to prevent inflammation and relapses.
Early studies suggest CAR-T may be able to reach the parts of the brain and spinal cord that standard MS treatments struggle to access. This could be especially important for people with progressive MS, where neurodegeneration often continues even when relapses stop.
While current MS treatments can be highly effective for many people, CAR-T’s promise lies in its potential to halt progression more completely—or even offer lasting remission with fewer medications over time.
Who’s a Candidate for CAR-T Therapy?
Right now, CAR-T cell therapy for MS is still being studied in early-phase clinical trials for both relapsing and progressive forms. These trials are typically limited to people whose disease is not responding to current therapies or who have progressive MS with few remaining options.
If you’re curious whether you might qualify for a trial in the future, talk with your neurologist or MS specialist. They can help you find reputable clinical trials and understand whether joining could be right for you.
While researchers are optimistic, widespread availability is still several years away. The results of current trials will determine how soon CAR-T therapy could move into Phase II and III testing, which we need before it can be approved for clinical use.
For now, the best thing you can do is stay informed and have open conversations with your care team about the options available to you.
What Are the Risks and Side Effects?
Because CAR-T cell therapy is still new in MS research, doctors are watching closely to understand how safe it is. So far, early studies show that most people tolerate it well—but, like any treatment that affects the immune system, it can come with risks.
The main side effects seen in trials include:
- Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) – A temporary immune reaction that can cause fever or flu-like symptoms.
- Neurotoxicity (ICANS) – Short-term neurological effects such as confusion, headaches, or fatigue.
- Infections – Due to temporary immune imbalance after treatment.
- Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) – Only possible in donor-cell therapies, when immune cells react against the recipient’s body.
Researchers are still learning how CAR-T therapy affects the immune system long-term, but so far, the safety results have been encouraging. Every new trial helps doctors understand how to make this therapy even safer and more effective for people with MS.
Progress Is Coming – Here’s What You Can Do Now
CAR-T cell therapy for MS is still in its early stages, but it’s one of the most exciting developments we’ve seen in years. It offers real hope that we may be able to reset the immune system and stop MS progression — especially if you haven’t responded well to other treatments.
In the meantime, there’s so much you can do to feel stronger and more in control right now. Consistent movement, MS-specific exercises, and smart symptom management can make a huge difference in your energy, balance, and mobility.
If you’re not sure where to start, download my free MS Mobility Tools Guide. It’s filled with simple, practical tools you can use at home to start improving how you move and feel each day.
Have questions about CAR-T therapy or other MS developments? Send me a DM on Instagram @dr.gretchen — I’d love to connect and help you make sense of it.
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