Engineered CAR-T cells eliminate deadly childhood brain tumors in mice

· Science · United States

Scientists at UC San Francisco have developed a cancer therapy that stays inactive until it reaches the brain, where it switches on and attacks tumors. The engineered immune cells, called B-SYNC CAR-T cells, completely eliminated diffuse midline glioma (DMG) in every mouse tested. DMG is an aggressive childhood brain cancer. The approach is built around a trigger that confines the cells' activity to the brain rather than letting them act throughout the body.

Why it matters：A therapy that activates only inside the brain addresses a central safety problem for CAR-T in solid tumors, and success in a uniformly fatal childhood cancer will draw attention from cell-therapy developers.

Key points

  • The cells are engineered to remain inactive until they reach the brain.
  • Diffuse midline glioma is an aggressive childhood brain cancer.
  • The therapy eliminated tumors in every mouse tested.

Sources (original reporting)

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