Susanna Fletcher Greer, Chief Scientific Officer at the V Foundation, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“We talk about CAR T cell therapy a good bit here; researchers take a person’s own immune cells, train them in the lab to recognize cancer, grow them into an army, and send them back into the patient’s body to fight. CAR T has been life-changing for many people with blood cancers, but 40 to 50 percent of patients still relapse often because cancer finds a way to hide.
A newthe V Foundation funded study shows a promising way to change these stats:
V Foundation Grantee Dr. M. Eric Kohler from the University of Colorado Boulder designed a CAR T cell that doesn’t rely on one signal, but two different ‘boosts’ inside the same immune cell.
Think of a T cell as a security guard. Traditional CAR T therapy hands the guard one scanner to spot cancer. Dr. Kohler’s new design gives the guard two scanners (for CD19 and CD22) plus two radio channels that change how the guard responds:
- One radio gives a fast, loud ‘attack now’ alert,
- The other gives a steadier ‘stay focused and don’t burn out’ message
Together, these dual boosts helped CAR T cells clear leukemia more effectively and stay active longer, with fewer signs of exhaustion, the key reason CAR T sometimes stops working.
What happens next, and why it matters:
The next step is testing the approach in people. Versions of this dual-target CAR are already in early clinical trials, where researchers will look closely at safety and how long the modified T cells stay active. If the early signs hold true, this design could help prevent two outcomes patients fear most after treatment: relapse caused by tumors ‘hiding’ and immune cells wearing out too quickly.
Stronger isn’t the only goal. Smarter treatments will help more patients stay in remission longer, and move forward without needing another therapy.
And during Thanksgiving week, it’s a powerful reminder of what research is really about:
giving more people more holidays, milestones, and everyday moments with the people they love.
Join me in being ‘thankful’ for cancer research and for cancer researchers: find the Kohler lab at M. Eric Kohler, MD, PhD | Profiles | School of Medicine | University of Colorado and read this awesome paper at Increased NFAT activity with dual CAR stimulation in CD19xCD22 CAR T-cells is associated with decreased exhaustion and improved survival | Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
Join me in being ‘thankful’ for cancer research and for cancer researchers.”
More posts featuring Susanna Fletcher Greer.