Utilizing Radiation to Induce Novel Target for CAR-T Cell Therapy
CAR-T cell therapy uses a patient’s own T cells, a type of white blood cell that is part of an immune response, and reprograms them to recognize and destroy cancer cells. While CAR-T cell therapy has transformed treatment for some blood cancers like leukemia, it has achieved limited success against solid tumors such as lung and pancreatic cancer. Solid tumors often create harsh environments that weaken CAR-T cells and reduce the expression of surface proteins that CAR-T cells use to identify and destroy cancer cells. Our research explores how radiation therapy can enhance the effectiveness of CAR-T cells. We found that radiation increases the presence of a promising target, called citrullinated vimentin, on the surface of lung and pancreatic cancer cells. We have also found that delivering radiation before CAR-T therapy leads to greater tumor cell death. Through this study, we aim to understand how radiation affects the expression of citrullinated vimentin and whether combining radiation with CAR-T cell therapy increases survival in mice with pancreatic and lung cancer. By investigating this combination approach in lung and pancreatic cancer models, we aim to develop more effective and durable treatments for patients with these difficult-to-treat cancers and expand the potential of CAR-T therapy for solid tumors.
