More than half of deaths that are not attributed to disease progression or recurrence after CAR T-cell therapy are caused by infections—an unprecedented finding that experts say marks a shift from a conventional focus on mitigating treatment-specific adverse events to including prevention and management of infections.
Researchers from City of Hope have developed a “plug-and-play” technology that adds engineered molecules to chimeric antigen receptor T cells after treatment, allowing scientists to better control the cells and redirect them to attack different types of cancer. The preclinical study offers a more flexible way to help CAR T cells keep pace with mutating tumors.
