New CAR T cell therapy approach minimizes severe side effects
Six CAR T cell therapies have received FDA approval, and several more are in the pipeline. However, these therapies carry serious and potentially fatal side effects, namely cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and neurotoxicity. These drawbacks manifest themselves in a range of symptoms, from high fever and vomiting to multivisceral failure and patient death, posing significant […]
NICER: A safer alternative to CRISPR/Cas9 for gene editing
CRISPR/Cas9 method can lead to unintended DNA mutations that can have negative effects. Recently, Japanese researchers have developed a new gene-editing technique that is as effective as CRISPR/Cas9, yet significantly reduces these unintended mutations. In a new study published in Nature Communications , researchers led by Osaka University have introduced a new technique called NICER, […]
Universal approach could potentially expand CAR T cell therapy to all blood cancers
Until now, researchers have lacked the tools to create a targeted cell therapy approach that could work on all the different forms of blood and bone marrow cancers. A new solution could solve a major problem in immunotherapy, namely the inability to target surface markers present on both cancerous and healthy cells. In the study, […]
Ovarian cancer patients enrolled in first-in-human trial of CAR T cell therapy
Researchers from one of the largest cancer research and treatment organizations in the USA, have published preclinical research in Nature Communications demonstrating that a CAR T cell therapy targeting TAG72, a target found on the surface of ovarian cancer cells, eradicates cancer cells in mouse models. The researchers also found that by adding the cytokine […]
Novel gene editing cell therapy shows curative potential in sickle cell disease
An experimental gene-editing cell therapy for sickle cell disease has shown encouraging initial results in a multicenter Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trial. The clinical trial is the first in which CRISPR-Cas12 is used to edit human cells. Cas12 has been shown in preclinical research to be more effective for gene editing as it […]
Novel gene editing cell therapy shows curative potential in sickle cell disease
An experimental gene-editing cell therapy for sickle cell disease has shown encouraging initial results in a multicenter Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trial. The clinical trial is the first in which CRISPR-Cas12 is used to edit human cells. Cas12 has been shown in preclinical research to be more effective for gene editing as it […]
New study warns of dangers of gene editing in human embryos
A new study highlights the limits of gene editing in human embryos. Researchers have used CRISPR-Cas9 in an attempt to correct genetic errors in human embryos. However, embryonic cells have difficulty repairing broken DNA strands, leading to further mutations. In one study, researchers fertilized donated eggs with donated sperm using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to […]
New study warns of dangers of gene editing in human embryos
A new study highlights the limits of gene editing in human embryos. Researchers have used CRISPR-Cas9 in an attempt to correct genetic errors in human embryos. However, embryonic cells have difficulty repairing broken DNA strands, leading to further mutations. In one study, researchers fertilized donated eggs with donated sperm using intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) to […]
New project aims to improve the efficacy and safety of CAR T therapies for solid tumors
The partners in the international CAR T-REX consortium announce the award of a highly competitive EIC Pathfinder Open grant, following the positive evaluation of their project entitled “CAR T Cells Rewired to Prevent EXhaustion in the Tumor Microenvironment”. One of 57 projects selected from 858 submissions, with total funding of €2.7m, CAR T-REX was recognized […]
Study raises new hopes for blood cancer patients with an incomplete response to CAR T cell therapy
The aim of immunotherapy strategies is to use cells from the patient’s own immune system to destroy tumor cells. CAR T cell therapy is an effective immunotherapy for the treatment of blood cancer. Around 35,000 people are affected by blood cancer in France every year, with 1.24 million cases worldwide. By closely studying some of […]