Stem-cell memory T (TSCM) cells are a rare subset of immune cells with the ability to self-renew, persist long term, and mount potent anti-tumor responses. These properties make them an attractive candidate for next-generation CAR T-cell therapies. However, their clinical potential has not previously been demonstrated in humans. An international team of researchers co-led by
The third Clinical Trials Plenary Session at the AACR Annual Meeting 2026 was dedicated to “Cellular Therapies and Complex Immunotherapies” and provided updates on sophisticated immunotherapeutic CAR-T cells strategies, with special emphasis on their application for solid tumors. Can CAR T-cell therapy intercept disease in patients with smoldering myeloma? The first presenter Omar Nadeem, MD, of
For the first time, scientists have used a modern cell therapy called CAR-T to treat a patient with three different life-threatening autoimmune diseases that had resisted years of treatment. The patient, who once required daily blood infusions, has been in remission without needing additional treatment for a year since the CAR-T therapy. The case report,
Gene edits could solve obstacles to treatment for the most common types of cancer Since 2017, a personalized immunotherapy called Chimeric Antigen Receptor, or CAR-T cell treatment, has worked wonders to treat patients with blood cancers such as leukemia. But when it comes to treating solid tumor cancers, such as lung, breast and kidney cancers
Chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR T) cell therapy represents a milestone in leukemia treatment. CAR T works by genetically engineering a chimeric antigen receptor on the surface of the patient’s T cells to target specific antigens on leukemia cells, with the goal of identifying and eliminating them. However, clinical data show that more than 50%
Chinese researchers have developed a novel method to efficiently engineer natural killer (NK) cells for cancer immunotherapy. NK cells are central to early antiviral and anticancer defense—among other immune system roles—making them well-suited for cancer immunotherapy. For example, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-NK therapy involves adding a lab-built receptor (a CAR) to an NK cell, enabling
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center’s Ludwig Center developed a new treatment that selectively targets TRBC2-positive T-cell cancers, expanding a precision approach they established in 2024 for TRBC1-positive tumors. The therapy, an antibody-drug conjugate, targets a protein expressed on the surface of T-cell cancers to deliver a cancer cell-killing drug. The work, published Dec. 22 in Nature Cancer, provides
Team headed by Dr. Renier Brentjens finds reprogramming neutrophils is key to antitumor immune response A laboratory study out of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center outlines a new way to boost the effectiveness of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in solid-tumor cancers, resulting in their eradication. Led by Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD, Deputy Director and
New insights offer hope for longer-lasting remissions in people living with multiple myeloma A new study from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai helps explain why some people with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, stay in remission for many years after receiving CAR T cell therapy, while others see their cancer
Five-year data from clinical trial for adults with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma confirms lasting remissions in high-risk patients A study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology confirms that one of the first Food and Drug Administration-approved CAR-T cell therapies offers long-term survival and potential cures for adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma, even
