DiscoveryBiology_news

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies are touted as the next generation of highly selective, anti-cancer therapeutics against leukemia, lymphomas, breast cancer and GD2-positive sarcomas. While CAR T-cell therapy is highly targeted towards the above mentioned tumor types, it can still affect normal cells endogenously expressing tumor antigens.

To make CAR T-cell therapies more useful and safer, researchers are constantly searching for "cleaner" ways of applying CAR T-cell therapy. Recently, investigators identified fibroblast activation protein (FAP) as a potential target for CAR T-cell therapy based on its preferential expression in tumor stromal cells.

Tumor stromal cells were known to be critically required to support the growth of their associated tumors. When FAP-CAR T-cells were tested in syngeneic mouse tumor models, the cells were demonstrated to be highly effective in reducing the growth of several types of epithelial tumor. The investigators also noted the absence of signs concerning safety. This finding may potentially lead CAR T-cell therapy to become a therapy for a broad spectrum of cancers.