by – Forbes
Here we describe early clinical trial results on combination CRISPR and CAR T therapy, a sequel to an earlier, introductory piece. Other alternative CAR T designs include mRNA vectors to create temporary CAR T cells and the use of antibody switches to control CAR T cell activation. Previous installments also discuss the fundamentals of CAR T and its applications for B cell cancers, multiple myeloma, lupus and the heart.
CAR T therapy can treat blood cancers by inserting new genes into a patient’s own immune cells using viruses. Early clinical trial results present an alternative that forgoes viral gene transfer: CRISPR technology. Such integration of CRISPR gene editing could improve the precision, speed and cost-effectiveness of CAR T cell production. In addition, researchers hope CRISPR will broaden CAR T therapy applications from blood cancers to solid tumors, which the engineered T cells notoriously have failed to target.