Yale Cancer Center researchers discovered a method to "supercharge" cancer-fighting T-cells, which may improve and expand treatment types for new cancers.
Researchers found high levels of activity in several genes stimulate increased CAR-T cell activity in mouse models used to study three different types of cancers, including solid-tumor breast cancer. The findings were published March 10 in Cell Metabolism.
"We developed a new kind of genome-wide gain of function screen to find a molecular enzyme that acts like a foot on a gas pedal to increase metabolic activity in T-cells," stated Sidi Chen, PhD, associate professor of genetics at Yale and the paper's senior author.
There are currently no approved CAR-T cell therapies to treat solid tumors, but further research will allow researchers to test the newly identified types of metabolically enhanced cells in clinical settings in different cancer types, including in solid tumors.