Dermatologist Aimee S. Payne, MD, PhD, describes pemphigus, a rare autoimmune blistering disorder, and the targeted CAR-T cell directed immunotherapy being developed to control it at the Penn Center for Precision Medicine. Pemphigus, is defined by antibodies that attack the molecules that bind the epidermal layers together, causing widespread blistering of the skin and mucous membranes. The laboratory Dr. Payne leads is investigating an immunotherapeutic that employs chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) directed T cells to seek out and kill the pemphigus-specific B cells, while sparing immune cells that protect from infection. Dr Payne is the Albert M. Kligman Associate Professor of Dermatology at Penn Medicine.

Related Links:
Engineering the Immune System to Correct its Own Flaws: a Q&A with Dr. Aimee Payne
Dr Payne’s Profile