Synthetic Cellular Therapies Targeting Brain Cancers: Towards Personalized Cell Therapies

Synthetic cell therapy utilizing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells offers a promising alternative for treating brain cancers, addressing the urgent need for novel therapies due to the high toxicity and limited survival rates associated with current treatment options. While CAR T cell therapy has shown remarkable success in hematological cancers, its application in brain tumors is hindered by challenges such as antigen escape and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME).

In our lab, we focus on identifying novel antigen targets for CAR therapy and designing optimized CAR constructs to selectively and safely target brain cancers (e.g. medulloblastoma, astrocytoma and oligodendroglioma). By developing innovative CAR proteins, we aim to enhance safety and efficacy in solid tumors. Recognizing the limitations of CAR T therapy, we also evaluate CAR constructs in natural killer (NK) cells and CAR macrophages. These alternative cell types demonstrate reduced toxicity, sustained tumor-killing capacity, and improved efficacy even in cases of antigen escape, paving the way for effective clinical translation.