Cellectis Publishes Study on New CAR T-Cell Approach for Solid Tumors
Biotechnology company Cellectis has published research detailing a novel CAR T-cell therapy strategy designed to target recalcitrant solid tumors and enhance safety.
Cellectis, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, has published an article in Molecular Therapy detailing its TALEN®-mediated gene editing capabilities for designing SMART DUAL CAR T-cells. This approach aims to effectively target immunotherapy-recalcitrant solid tumors while mitigating potential safety risks.
Adoptive cell therapy using CAR T-cells has shown success in certain blood cancers, but its efficacy in solid tumors remains challenging. Factors contributing to this include the tumor microenvironment, which can suppress T-cell infiltration and function, and the potential for on-target, off-tumor toxicity due to antigen expression on normal tissues.
The company's SMART DUAL CAR T-cell strategy utilizes engineered T-cells to overcome these hurdles. The cells express a constitutive CAR targeting FAP+ cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) within solid tumors, and an inducible CAR that activates in the presence of CAFs to target the tumor-associated antigen mesothelin. This dual targeting aims for enhanced tumor penetration and activity.
Preclinical studies in mouse models targeting triple-negative breast cancer demonstrated that the SMART Dual CAR T-cells efficiently infiltrated and targeted tumors without observable on-target, off-tumor toxicity. Cellectis suggests this strategy holds significant potential for the therapeutic development of CAR T-cells against solid tumors.
The research article is available on the Molecular Therapy website. Cellectis leverages its gene-editing platform to develop life-saving cell and gene therapies.