What is CAR-T therapy or adoptive cell transfer?

CAR T-Cell therapy is a type of cancer treatment where a patient’s T cells are modified in the laboratory so that they will attack cancer cells. T-cells are a type of white blood cell that work with macrophages, which is a type of white blood cell related to infection.

T-cells are taken from a patient’s blood, and these T-cells are modified to include a special receptor that binds to particular sites on a patient’s cancer cells. Such receptors are called chimeric antigen receptors (CAR), and large quantities of CAR-T cells are produced in the laboratory and administered by infusion. 

This treatment is used for particular blood cancers and is a significant area of research for the treatment of other types of cancer as well. 

How does CAR T-cell therapy work?

CAR T-cell therapy causes T-cells to target substances the body identifies as harmful known as antigens, located on the surface of certain types of cancer cells. A protein is added to the surface of T-cells to provide this targeting capability, which is achieved during the manufacturing of CAR T-cells. This protein is the namesake of CAR T-cell therapy and is called a chimeric antigen receptor or CAR protein. 

The CAR protein is made up of 3 separate proteins:

• One that identifies antigens on the cancer cell

• Two that signal the T-cell to activate during the attachment of the first protein to the antigen of the cancer cell

What cancers can be treated with CAR T-cell therapy?

Different cancers may be treated with CAR T-cell therapy, especially cancers of the blood and lymphatic system. CAR T-cell therapy is most frequently administered if traditional cancer treatments are ineffective or if the cancer reappears. Some examples of treatments include:

• B cell lymphoma

• Mantle cell lymphoma

• Leukemia and recurrent large B cell lymphoma

• Reoccurring B cell lymphoma

However, these are only the cancers that currently have approved CAR T-cell therapies. Many other types of cancer undergoing ongoing clinical trials that include:

• Lung cancer

• Liver cancer

• Pancreatic cancer

• Colon/colorectal cancer

• Ovarian cancer

Make development easier by using the CAR-T Cell Therapy Software by Dotmatics.