Yan Leyfman, Medical Oncologist, Co-Founder and Executive Director of MedNews Week, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“A new CAR-T target for solid tumors? Target the tumor and its niche
CAR-T has struggled in solid tumors due to:
- Antigen heterogeneity
- A suppressive, pro-fibrotic microenvironment
This study points to a compelling solution: uPAR (urokinase plasminogen activator receptor)
Why uPAR matters:
- Broadly expressed across solid tumors—especially with TP53/RAS mutations
- Marks senescent, pro-fibrotic stromal cells that support tumor growth
- Represents both the tumor and its microenvironment
What uPAR CAR-T can do:
- Eliminate tumor cells + stromal support simultaneously
- Drive durable regressions across models
- Eradicate systemic metastases
- Synergize with senescence-inducing therapies
Safety signal:
Robust antitumor activity without sustained myelosuppression in humanized models
Big picture:
Instead of chasing a single tumor antigen, this strategy targets the shared biology of cancer + fibrosis + senescence.
Takeaway:
uPAR may be a broad, translatable CAR-T target—offering a way to overcome two of the biggest barriers in solid tumor therapy:
- heterogeneity
- the tumor microenvironment.”
Other articles featuring Yan Leyfman.