Secrets of CAR T Cell Longevity

Why do some cancer patients have only short-term remissions after CAR T cell therapy, while others enjoy apparent cures? An international team co-led by Carl June, MD, of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, discovered that it seems related to two types of CAR T cell functionality. The “type 2” cells have a key ability to help repair other, dysfunctional CAR T cells to keep them fighting for the long haul. Boosting the numbers of type 2 CAR T cells with immune signaling proteins such as IL-4 could make these immunotherapies more durably effective.