Biology teacher becomes first UK patient to receive ‘gamechanger’ MS therapy

A biology teacher has become the first UK patient to receive CAR T-cell therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) as part of a global clinical trial.

Emily Henders, 37, received the treatment at University College London Hospital last week after being diagnosed with MS on Christmas Eve 2021.

CAR T-cell therapy is tailored for each patient and aims to halt or slow disease progression.

It involves taking a person’s own T cells – white blood cells that target infected or damaged cells – and genetically modifying them before returning them via an infusion to “reset” the immune system.

Henders, from Bushey, Hertfordshire, has suffered four debilitating relapses since her diagnosis, despite taking one of the most effective existing MS drugs.

She said: “I’m feeling normal and I’ve got energy back. I don’t have any nausea, I’ve had no fevers. I’m feeling pretty relaxed.

Henders said her symptoms had “progressively worsened” since diagnosis.

“I notice sometimes my foot hits the pavement in a funny way. No one else would notice it, but I feel it,” she said.

“Or when I’m teaching and doing a science experiment, I can feel my hands are shaking, and I’m very much aware that probably the students can see that my hands are shaking.”

She recalled her first major relapse when an ambulance had to be called: “I was just getting out of bed and my oldest son was there with me, and I couldn’t stand up, and it was very scary.

“The ambulance came, and I’ll never forget my children’s faces as the medics were rushing in and then strapping me to a chair and carrying me down the stairs and putting me in the back of an ambulance.”

Henders hopes the treatment will prevent further relapses and reduce the risk of needing a wheelchair – a likelihood that remains high for many people with MS.

CAR T-cell therapy for MS modifies the T cells to recognise and destroy B cells – another type of immune cell – which are known to cause inflammation and allow the disease to progress.

The treatment has already shown success in certain cancers and in the autoimmune condition lupus.

“Our ultimate goal is to achieve long periods of disease remission with a single, one-time CAR T-cell treatment,” said consultant haematologist Claire Roddie from UCLH.

“It could mean people can come off all their other drugs.

“We are excited about this because we’re taking a treatment developed for cancers and repurposing it for a whole new spectrum of conditions.

“CAR T-cells also go to places in the body that other drugs don’t necessarily reach very effectively.”

She said the therapy follows a “one and done” approach, meaning patients might not need further treatment afterwards. “If we could achieve that in MS, it would transform so many people’s lives.”

Caitlin Astbury, senior research communications manager at the MS Society, said: “It’s early days but, if trial results prove successful, CAR T-cell therapy could be a gamechanger for how we treat the condition.”

The trial aims to recruit up to 18 patients worldwide by early 2027.