Could CAR T-Cell Therapy Be a Cure for Some Cancers?
Nov 16, 2023
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Hear from Dr. Michel Sadelain and Dr. Jae Park about the potential of CAR T-cell therapy in the treatment of cancer. They discuss its origins, clinical success in blood cancers, potential side effects, and strategies to enhance accessibility. Both doctors express optimism for CAR T-cell therapy's future in treating a wider range of cancers, including solid tumors.
CAR T-cell therapy has shown remarkable success in treating blood cancers and has the potential to cure them.
CAR T-cell therapy faces challenges in treating solid tumors due to their complex microenvironment, but researchers are working to develop strategies to overcome this.
Deep dives
CAR T cell therapy: A Promising Treatment for Cancer
CAR T cell therapy is an exciting and promising immunotherapy treatment that enhances a patient's own immune system to target and attack tumors. It has shown remarkable results in some patients who have exhausted all other treatment options. The therapy involves modifying a patient's own T cells to recognize and kill cancer cells. The process includes educating the T cells with genetic instructions and designing receptors to guide them. Currently, CAR T cell therapy has been primarily used in blood cancers like lymphoma, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and multiple myeloma, with the potential for cure. The therapy involves collecting the patient's T cells, genetically engineering them in the lab, and infusing them back into the patient's body to attack the cancer cells.
Challenges and Prospects for CAR T Cell Therapy
Although CAR T cell therapy has shown promise, its application in solid tumors poses a significant challenge. Solid tumors have a complex microenvironment that makes it difficult for the therapy to penetrate and effectively target cancer cells. Researchers are working to identify resistance mechanisms and develop strategies to modify T cells accordingly. The therapy's personalized nature and complex manufacturing process currently limit its accessibility. However, efforts are being made to improve T cell quality, reduce manufacturing time, and explore alternative approaches like using stem cells or engineering T cells inside the patient's body. Philanthropic support has played a crucial role in advancing CAR T cell therapy, especially during the transition from research to clinical application.
Safety, Side Effects, and Cost Considerations
CAR T cell therapy can cause acute side effects shortly after infusion, including cytokine release syndrome and neurotoxicity. These side effects are manageable and reversible and occur due to the strong immune response triggered by the therapy. Patients may also experience mild immunosuppression. Close monitoring is necessary during treatment, and clinicians are working towards better predicting and managing side effects. The current cost of CAR T cell therapy is high, but efforts are underway to reduce costs by improving T cell quality, shortening manufacturing time, utilizing donor cells, and exploring alternative production methods. Ensuring wider access to this effective therapy is also a priority for the future.
Discover the revolutionary potential of CAR T-cell therapy as a possible cure for some types of cancer. In this episode, Dr. Diane Reidy-Lagunes speaks with the pioneer of CAR T-cell therapy, MSK immunologist Dr. Michel Sadelain, as well as cellular therapist Dr. Jae Park, about the intricate process of modifying a patient’s own immune cells to target and eliminate cancer cells. They discuss its origin, clinical success in treating blood cancers like lymphoma and leukemia, and potential side effects. Dr. Sadelain addresses cost concerns, proposing strategies to enhance accessibility, while both doctors express optimism for CAR T-cell therapy’s future in treating, and maybe curing, a wider range of cancers, including solid tumors.
