A Novel Adjunctive LAT-Activating CART (ALA-CART) Cell Platform for the Treatment of Acute Leukemia
Immunotherapy has been promising for the treatment of cancers. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of pediatric relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). CAR T-cell therapy involves collecting patient T cells and re-engineering them to specifically target cancer cells. Despite the initial success of CAR T-cell therapy, approximately 50% of ALL patients relapse within a year. Additionally, CAR T-cell therapy for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has yet led to effective responses in patients. Therefore, it is critical to develop new therapies to overcome limitations of current standard CAR T-cell therapies to improve outcomes for children with lymphoid and myeloid acute leukemias. We identified a deficiency in current CAR T cells and have developed a novel CAR T cell, a Adjunctive- LAT- Activating CAR T (ALA-CART) that can enhance CAR T cell responses compared to standard CAR T cell therapies. This novel therapy overcomes current barriers in CAR T cell therapy and may potential improve outcomes for pediatric acute leukemias.
Project Goal:
The goal of this project is to better understand the activity of our novel CAR T cell platform, Adjunctive- LAT- Activating CAR T (ALA-CART) to improve CAR T cell therapies. We hope to use our findings to translate the use of ALA-CART in the clinic and to provide an effective treatment for children with lymphoid and myeloid acute leukemias.
