Clinical Update: TALEN-Edited CAR T-Cell Therapy for Large B-Cell Lymphoma
ALLO-501A is a CAR T cell-based therapy for relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma developed by the American company Allogene Therapeutics. The advantage of this therapy is its allogeneic approach, i.e. it is based on healthy donor cells. However, the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) must be mitigated to avoid rejection of the therapy. The […]
Prime editing enables more precise correction of genetic problems than traditional CRISPR
According to scientists at the Medical College of Georgia, a new edition of the CRISPR gene tool successfully suppressed the expression of Tspan2 gene involved in the differentiation of smooth muscle cells that help give strength and movement to organs and blood vessels. The researchers made a single-base change in the promoter region of Tspan2 […]
Design of T Cell Circuits that Sense Antigen Density to Treat Solid Tumors
The development of CAR T cells is one of the most important recent advances in the field of immunotherapies targeting cancer. This treatment is mainly used for patients suffering from leukemia or lymphoma. However, the application of CAR T cell therapy to solid tumors is still challenging. For many cancers, there is an abundance of […]
mRNA-Based CAR T-Cell Therapy Descartes-11 Moves Into Phase 2 Trial in Myeloma
Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy in the world and remains difficult to treat despite numerous therapeutic advances and drug approvals. Patients continue to experience multiple relapses and complications of the disease, affecting many areas of the body, such as the bones, kidneys and immune system. An mRNA-based CAR-T cell therapy, named […]
Promising Data From First-Ever CRISPR Phage Therapy Trial
Locus Biosciences announced that it has completed the world’s first clinical trial using a CRISPR-enhanced bacteriophage therapy in which CRISPR-Cas3 improved the natural ability of the virus to kill the E. coli bacteria behind urinary tract infections. The company decided to take a nuclear approach and to become the first company to combine both mechanisms, […]
CAR T-Cell Therapy Carves Out a Role in Multiple Myeloma
Autologous and allogeneic CAR T cell therapies led by BCMA lead to profound and durable responses in heavily pre-treated multiple myeloma patients with a low incidence of severe cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. According to Yi Lin, in the near future we will no longer be limited by trial criteria for CAR T-cells. For example, […]
Human ACE2 Peptide-Mimics Block SARS-CoV-2 Pulmonary Cells Infection – Nature Communication
A team of French researchers has come up with an anti-Covid solution which is an alternative to a vaccination and which could be ready for use in the form of a nasal spray. They have created a peptide, made up of natural amino acids which lures the virus to it by mimicking the ACE2 lock, […]
Universal CAR T Cell Therapy Helps Neat a Hard-to-Treat Pediatric Cancer
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) accounts for 25% of all pediatric cancer cases in the United States. There are several options for treating ALL in children aged 1-10 years, but infants under one year of age generally have a much poorer prognosis. However, two infants diagnosed with ALL are cured after receiving initial experimental therapy using CAR […]
Modified version of CAR T-cell therapy shows promise in targeting neuroblastoma
Modified version of CAR T-cell therapy shows promise in targeting neuroblastoma The development of CAR T cells has facilitated the treatment of blood tumors. Moreover, this therapy is not effective against solid tumors such as neuroblastoma and has even revealed toxic effects that are due to the fact that most of the antigens that the […]
Penn study opens the door to let CAR T cells reach the tumor microenvironment
Penn study opens the door to let CAR T cells reach the tumor microenvironment The network of blood vessels in the tumour microenvironment remains one of the most difficult blockages for cell therapies to penetrate and treat solid tumours. However, a new study published in Nature Cancer explains that researchers at Penn Medicine found that combining CAR T cell therapy with a PAK4 inhibitor drug allowed modified cells to work their way through and attack the tumour, leading to significantly improved survival in mice. The genetic reprogramming of tumour endothelial cells lining the walls of blood vessels is caused by an enzyme known as PAK4. Penn’s team discovered that this enzyme reduces abnormal tumour vascularisation and improves T cell infiltration and CAR T cell immunotherapies in mouse models of glioblastoma. An experiment with T-RCA cell therapy led by EGFRvIII and a PAK4 inhibitor showed a nearly 80 percent reduction in tumour growth compared to mice that received CAR T cell therapy only five days after infusion. The targeting of PAK4 may therefore provide a unique opportunity to recondition the tumour microenvironment and improve T-cell–based cancer immunotherapy for solid tumours.