Avery Posey: Tackling Heart Disease with CAR Tregs
Avery Posey, Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, shared an article he and his colleagues authored on LinkedIn:
“New Research Alert: Tackling Heart Disease with CAR Tregs!
CAR T cells have already proven their efficacy in treating blood cancers and autoimmune diseases, but can they tackle the #1 cause of human mortality—heart disease?
In our latest preprint, we present the development of CAR Tregs designed to target oxidized LDL (OxLDL). These engineered immune cells achieved remarkable outcomes in mouse models of atherosclerosis:
– Suppressed T cell proliferation
– Reduced foam cell formation
– Decreased plaque deposition by ~80%
Key Takeaway: This is the first demonstration that engineered immune cells can treat heart disease through immunosuppressive mechanisms.
Interestingly, our therapeutic approach diverges from conventional lipid-lowering strategies that dominate cardiovascular disease treatment.
Instead, we aim to address immune-driven mechanisms behind plaque formation and rupture.
What’s next?
We are excited to explore this therapy in high-risk cardiovascular disease models, including:
– CHIP (Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential)
– Checkpoint immunotherapy-associated CVD
– Autoimmune-associated accelerated CVD
Could CAR Tregs open new frontiers in cardiovascular medicine? We believe the answer is yes, and we’re eager to engage the community to move this work forward.
Read the full preprint here.
A huge thank you to my team and collaborators for making this possible. Let’s continue advancing the frontiers of immunology and cardiovascular medicine!”
Authors: Robert D. Schwab et al.
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