New CAR T Cells Target Glioblastoma Tumor Microenvironment Protein

Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the Geneva University Hospital (HUG) have engineered a new CAR T cell therapy approach that can destroy glioblastoma cells. The new lab-engineered therapy, details of which are published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy for Cancer , targets Tenascin-C (TNC), a protein secreted in the extracellular matrix by glioblastoma cells that is found within the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment. In preclinical trials, these CAR T cells induced tumor regression showing their potential as a new method to address this hard-to-treat brain cancer.

“Glioblastoma presents as a mass in the brain, consisting of tumor cells but also other types of cells, as is the case in most cancers. However, glioblastoma is unique in that it contains very few T cel