CAR-T treatment is a major breakthrough in the history of cell treatment. The CAR-T treatment is made to address one type of tumor and is specific for one patient, so new treatment has been designed, named as SUPRA CAR-T.
A new treatment developed against the cells, Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs), are actually engineered receptors that combine with the cells of the immune system to target the cancer cells in the human body. The receptors are called chimeric because they consist of fused parts from different sources.
The basic principle of this treatment is based on the recombinant receptors that are able to stimulate antigen-binding and T-cell (A T cell, or T lymphocyte, is a type of lymphocyte (a subtype of white blood cell) that plays a central role in cell-mediated immunity) activation. In the recombination technology, scientist take the T-cells from the person’s body, genetically alter them and put them back into the body to allow the T-cells to attack the cancer cells.
CAR-T treatment being introduced in the body, these cell can cause some major toxicities which include cytokine release syndrome, neurological toxicity nad some types of allergies
In this way the T-cells are transformed into CAR-T cells. The CAR-T cell will have two domains: an extracellular receptor domain and an intracellular domain that will activate the T-cell.
The T-cells that have to be engineered can be obtained by the patient’s blood or from another healthy person. These T-cells are then recombined with a receptor that will recognize the antigens present on the tumor cells. When they come in contact with the antigen, the CAR-T cells are activated, proliferate and become cytotoxic. They destroy the tumor cells by releasing certain chemicals that are normally produced by the cells of the immune systems.
Undoubtedly, CAR-T treatment is a major breakthrough in the history of cell treatment. However there are some major problems that need to be focused. The CAR-T cells being introduced in the body can cause some major toxicities which include cytokine release syndrome, neurological toxicity nad some types of allergies.
Now the research led by Wilson Wong is opening new doors to make such treatment more effective and less deadly. According to Wilson Wong, the CAR-T treatment has three major flaws: target specificity, strength of response and lack of adaptive capability.
The CAR-T treatment is made to address one type of tumor and is specific for one patient, so new treatment has been designed, named as SUPRA CAR-T. This new treatment can be altered for different types of tumors, can be turned on and off and is overall more reliable. And the more interesting fact is that this SUPRA CAR-T technology will allow the doctors to deactivate the treatment in case the side effects became severe.