Science Spotlight: Engineered CD47 protects CAR T cells from macrophages and more

A team led by serial entrepreneur and  Stanford University professor Crystal Mackall revealed a method to increase the antitumor efficacy of anti-CD47 mAbs for solid tumors.

Blocking of the CD47-SIRPA pathway, by which cancers send a ‘don’t eat me’ signal to the immune system, can lead to increased macrophage-mediated phagocytosis of tumor cells, but has led to limited efficacy in the clinic. To further increase tumor cell killing, the Nature paper authors combined an anti-CD47 mAb with tumor-targeted CAR T cells. The strategy was stymied, however, by rapid macrophage-mediated clearance of the CAR Ts...