Precision-engineered CARs

A Nature study suggests inserting chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) DNA within the locus encoding T cell receptor α (TCRA) could produce less exhausted and more effective antitumor agents than the common strategy of scattering CARs throughout the genome. The more consistent CAR expression and improved performance of the precision-engineered CAR T cells could mean lower doses are needed for treatment, reducing manufacturing burden for the autologous cell therapy.

Study leader Michel Sadelain told BioCentury his team started the project looking for a way to make CAR T cell products more uniform than retrovirus-, lentivirus- or transposon-based engineering methods allow...