Researchers at the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered that CAR-T cell therapy, which has been effective in treating blood cancers, can also be adapted to target and treat solid tumors. This breakthrough has the potential to transform cancer treatment, as solid tumors have been more challenging to treat with existing CAR-T cell therapies. The modified CAR-T therapy was found to be effective in shrinking solid tumors, including pancreatic cancer, glioblastomas, and lung cancer tumors.
CAR-T cell therapy involves genetically modifying T cells to recognize and attack cancer cells. This therapy utilizes a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that allows T cells to identify specific proteins, known as antigens, on cancer cells. By modifying key proteins within the CAR, researchers were able to enhance the therapy’s effectiveness against solid tumors. The innovative approach involved targeting the B7-H3 antigen, which is commonly expressed on many solid tumors, along with a novel costimulatory protein to activate T cells when they encounter cancer cells.
The researchers tested five different CAR-T therapies on mice with various solid human tumors, including pancreatic, lung, and glioblastoma tumors. The therapy that included the novel targeting protein and the unique costimulatory protein, TMIGD2, was the most effective at keeping mice with solid tumors alive. This specific CAR combination, known as the TOP CAR, showed superior results in terms of survival rates and overall effectiveness. The TOP CAR therapy also showed promise in terms of safety parameters.
Moving forward, the researchers aim to further develop the TOP CAR therapy into a versatile platform that can target multiple tumor antigens and be tailored to treat various types of solid tumors. They are seeking commercial partners to facilitate the transition of this therapy into clinical trials for cancers of the brain, liver, pancreas, ovary, prostate, lung, bladder, colon, and others. The team has secured intellectual property protection for their research and is actively working towards advancing this novel therapy.
The results of this study, published in Science Advances, highlight the potential of CAR-T cell therapy in treating solid tumors and offer a promising new approach to cancer treatment. The researchers’ innovative modifications to the CAR proteins have shown significant improvements in targeting and destroying solid tumor cells. With further development and clinical trials, the TOP CAR therapy could potentially revolutionize the way solid tumors are treated, offering hope to patients with difficult-to-treat cancers.
