Breakthroughs
Cancer Breakthrough: CAR T-Cell Therapy
What is CAR T-cell therapy and how does it work?
CAR T-cell therapy is a type of treatment for cancer in which a patient's T-cells (a type of white blood cell) are altered so that they attack cancer cells. T-cells taken from a patient's blood are genetically altered by inserting a gene that codes for a special receptor. This receptor, called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), is produced on the surface of the T-cell and binds to a specific target on cancer cells (an antigen). This allows the T-cell to recognize the cancerous cells, multiply, and destroy them. I like to think of CAR T-cell therapy like a good-old fashioned game of hide and seek. With just your naked eye, spotting someone to tag might be a challenge. However, if you were armed with thermal vision goggles, spotting a hider becomes effortless. Similarly, a regular T-cell may not be able to recognize cancer cells, however CAR T-cells (with their added receptors) are able to identify cancerous cells and eliminate them. An engineered CAR T cell (center) binding to beads, which cause the T cell to divide.
Credit: University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
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