Recent developments in the treatment of blood cancers with a genetically enhanced cell therapy called CAR T cells have improved patient outcomes. Unfortunately, those same therapies have not had the same success for solid cancers, which are much more common. Here we propose therapies to target not only the cancer cells in solid tumors but also the normal cells surrounding the cancer cells that act as their support structure and help the tumor grow. These surrounding cells also protect the tumor from the immune system and prevent some treatments from reaching and killing the cancer cells. By targeting both cell types, our proposed therapy should increase anti-tumor activity of drugs and cell ...

Read More

Recent developments in the treatment of blood cancers with a genetically enhanced cell therapy called CAR T cells have improved patient outcomes. Unfortunately, those same therapies have not had the same success for solid cancers, which are much more common. Here we propose therapies to target not only the cancer cells in solid tumors but also the normal cells surrounding the cancer cells that act as their support structure and help the tumor grow. These surrounding cells also protect the tumor from the immune system and prevent some treatments from reaching and killing the cancer cells. By targeting both cell types, our proposed therapy should increase anti-tumor activity of drugs and cell therapies that are known to be safe but are not yet effective, finally allowing them to eliminate solid tumors. To achieve this goal, we will engineer cells from the patient's own immune system to express molecules that recognize both the tumor and its supporting cells. One of these molecules, banana lectin, is derived from bananas. Banana lectin recognizes unusual sugar molecules on both cancer cells and their support cells and kills the cells that have them. But banana lectin does not recognize normal tissues, and so should not be dangerous for patients. Ours is a new approach and if successful can be applied to many different types of solid tumors, most of which are surrounded by supporting cells.

Read Less