April 26, 2024
Keio University School of Medicine
A research group led by Professor Yuki Kagoya and Assistant Professor Toshiaki Yoshikawa of the Division of Cancer Immunology at the Institute for Advanced Medical Research, Keio University School of Medicine, has successfully developed an artificial gene that simultaneously enhances the efficacy and safety of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy, an immunotherapy for cancer, in a joint research project with Takara Bio Inc.
CAR-T therapy is a treatment in which immune cells called T-cells are taken from a patient's own blood, processed outside the body, and then injected back into the patient. It is used clinically as a treatment for refractory hematological cancers that could not be treated with conventional drugs, and its application to other cancers is also anticipated. However, in many cases, the injected CAR-T cells disappear before they can completely eliminate the cancer cells, and the effect is not sustained. Conversely, in patients where the therapy is highly effective, excessive proliferation of CAR-T cells can cause severe side effects, necessitating improvements in both efficacy and safety.
In this study, we developed an artificial cytokine receptor gene that can control the function of substances released into the blood called cytokines. We demonstrated that CAR-T cells incorporating this gene can attack cancer over a long period and can also neutralize toxic cytokines associated with side effects.
The results of this research were published in the American scientific journal Cell Reports Medicine on April 26, 2024 (JST).
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