John Simmerling: How cancer cells find ways to evade the human immune system
John Simmerling, Chief Science Officer at Biomedical and Healthcare Technology Solutions Group, shared on LinkedIn:
“This amazing video shows how cancer cells find ways to evade the human immune system, continually presenting new challenges to scientists and researchers. Here, cancer cells evade detection by downregulating or losing MHC class I molecules, which are essential for signaling T Cells that they are targets for destruction.
So, our scientists and researchers developed Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell therapy (CAR-T), which sidesteps the MHC recognition problem by targeting the CD19 antigen predominantly found in B-cell malignancies. By focusing on CD19, CAR-T cells can identify and destroy cancerous B cells even when MHC class I expression is compromised.
However, challenges remain, including potential side effects like cytokine release syndrome. Ongoing research aims to enhance the efficacy and safety of CAR-T therapies across a broader range of cancers.
Researchers are developing new approaches to improve the efficacy of CAR-T Cell therapy, including adding CD20 and CD22 site targets.
Scientists are also working to adapt CAR-T therapies for solid tumors, which present unique challenges due to the tumor microenvironment and immune evasion mechanisms.
They’re also looking to develop CAR-T therapies that can be universally applied to patients (using donor-derived cells), rather than manufacturing each CAR-T therapy for individual patients.
Companies and academic programs that are generally known as leaders in this research include Novartis, Gilead Sciences, Kite Pharma, Bristol Myers Squibb, Bluebird Bio, Celyad Oncology, Sorrento Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania (Penn Medicine), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), MD Anderson Cancer Center, UCSF, Harvard Medical School / Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University.
This video is used under the terms for educational use by the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center.”
Authors: Samy JambonJennifer RuizAndres Garcia-MaldonadoMeixuan ChenDanny MendozaGarrett ArauzNicholas DeMarcoMona ConnerneyJeff D EskewRajesh BelaniStacey A CranertJulia CoronellaDevon J Shedlock.
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