Removing CD5 ‘Brake’ on CAR T Cells Increases Antitumor Efficacy

The effectiveness of CAR T-cell therapy against a variety of cancers, including solid tumors, could be boosted greatly by using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to knock out the gene for CD5, a protein found on the surface of T cells, according to a preclinical study led by Marco Ruella, MD, an Assistant Professor of Hematology-Oncology, a researcher with the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies and Scientific Director of Penn Medicine’s Lymphoma Program.