November 18, 2024
Researchers publishing in Nature have reported a new advance in developing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells to fight solid tumors in the brain. A difficult endeavor CAR T cell-based therapies are normally discussed in the context of blood cancers, as getting them to effectively attack solid tumors has proven very difficult, despite intensive research...
July 12, 2024
By making NK cells insensitive to tumor-secreted TGF-β, scientists have improved their efficacy against this deadly hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [1]. Liver cancer and TGF-β Cancer cells, which are supposed to be vulnerable to the immune system, develop various defensive mechanisms to avoid detection and decrease immune cells’ fitness and viability. In solid tumors, the dense...
April 03, 2024
Scientists have demonstrated that CAR T cells can be employed against senescent intestinal stem cells, improving regeneration and ameliorating age-related symptoms such as “leaky gut” [1]. Cell-on-cell warfare Cellular senescence is a heterogeneous phenomenon in which cells stop dividing and malfunction, driving up inflammation. While senescent cells play a positive role in certain contexts, such...
February 13, 2024
Scientists have found that giving CAR T cells a particular oncogenic mutation greatly improves their efficiency against blood and solid cancers [1]. Less than cancer One reason why cancer is so dangerous is that oncogenic mutations boost cancer cells’ survivability, just like a genetically modified monster in a sci-fi movie. When T cells go haywire...
January 26, 2024
Scientists have created CAR T cells that target senescent cells. This approach alleviated metabolic dysfunction in mice [1]. Immunotherapy is not just for cancer Why We Age: Cellular SenescenceAs your body ages, more of your cells become senescent. Senescent cells do not divide or support the tissues of which they are part; instead, they emit...
January 17, 2024
Scientists have created improved CAR T cells that also express the cytokine IL-10. The new cells proved highly effective in mice and in a pilot human trial [1]. The promise and the limitations Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells are among the most promising treatments in oncology. To create them, immune T cells are genetically...