Craig Maxwell, Global Head of Cell Therapy at AstraZeneca, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“It’s exciting to see some of our latest innovations in cell therapy published in Nature.
At AstraZeneca, we are exploring the promise of cell therapy across multiple diseases, including hard-to-treat cancers. This publication demonstrates how engineering CAR T cells with a dominant-negative TGFβ receptor II (dnTGFβRII) can help overcome the immunosuppressive effects of the tumour microenvironment, one of the most significant barriers to using cell therapies for solid tumors.
We’re exploring an innovative armouring strategy, designed to shield CAR T cells from the inhibitory impact of TGFβ, supporting their function within these complex settings. This is an important step towards realising the potential of cell therapy beyond blood cancers, and understanding how we might extend these potential benefits to more patients.
This achievement reflects the collective effort of our cell therapy teams and our collaborators across academia and biotech. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this important research.”