Editor: Akhmetova Aigerim
Author: Aldiyarbek Nurlan
Cancer immunotherapy targets antigens or proteins on the surface of tumor cells. One common example is the CD19 protein. But even when most tumor cells express CD19 on their surface, some do not. And tumors are constantly developing and often experience "antigen leakage", which means that the target is no longer expressed, which can lead to failure of immunotherapy and cancer recurrence.
The researchers found that cancer immunotherapy, which uses cells of the immune system such as T cells and CAR-T cells, not only kill tumor cells that express the drug target, but also nearby tumor cells that do not have targets from for the presence of fas proteins. Known as killing bystanders, this process can be made more effective by adding therapeutic drugs that turn off the regulation of fas proteins, the researchers said.
T-cell immunotherapy, including CAR-T, bispecific antibodies, and anti-PD1 antibodies, have revolutionized cancer treatment. However, even though the response rates are exceptionally high in patients receiving CAR-T, the majority of them either progress or relapse within one year.
In this study, Mount Sinai scientists studied tumors in patients in a large clinical trial examining the efficacy of CAR-T in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and for the first time found that the level of fas present in tumors predicted patients' response to the drug and their long-term survival. Those with significantly increased FAS in their tumors had a longer positive response to therapy.
Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201217112957.htm
