By LAURAN NEERGAARD, Associated Press

Our immune system has a dark side: It’s supposed to fight off invaders to keep us healthy. But sometimes it turns traitor and attacks our own cells and tissues.

What are called autoimmune diseases can affect just about every part of the body — and tens of millions of people. While most common in women , these diseases can strike anyone, adults or children, and they’re on the rise.

Dr. Roberto Caricchio, center, director of the Lupus Center at UMass Chan Medical School, speaks to a lupus support group, Feb. 12, 2025, in Worcester, Mass. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

New research is raising the prospect of treatments that might do more than tamp down symptoms. Dozens of clinical trials are testing ways to reprogram an immune system-gone-rogue, with so

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