Avidity-Optimized Dual Co-Stimulatory CAR-T Therapy Shows Promise in Cancer Immunotherapy
Leucid Bio
Cell Therapy Researcher
LUMICKS
Supplier of Dynamic Single-Molecule and Cell Enthusiasm Analysis Instruments
King's College London
King's College London, abbreviated as King's or KCL, is a world-class top-20 university, a founding college of the University of London, and a prestigious comprehensive research university with an outstanding global reputation. It is a member of the UK’s "Golden Triangle" universities, the Russell Group, and the SES-5 consortium. Established in 1829 by King George IV and granted its Royal Charter in the same year, King's is one of the oldest universities in the United Kingdom.King's College London stands alongside the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, University College London (UCL), Imperial College London, and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) as part of the UK’s renowned "Golden Triangle" universities. Among its alumni and faculty are 12 Nobel Laureates, 16 heads of state or government, and 34 current members of the UK Parliament. Notable figures include Peter Higgs, the "father of the God particle" and Nobel Prize winner in Physics; Walter Bentley, founder of Bentley Motors; literary giants Thomas Hardy and Virginia Woolf; and the poet John Keats. Additionally, King's is a member of the South East Science and Engineering Alliance (SES-5).King's College London consistently ranks among the top universities worldwide in various international rankings. In recent years, it has achieved a highest global ranking of 10th. In 2017, it was ranked 21st globally, 5th in the UK, and 7th in Europe by QS World University Rankings; 36th globally and 31st in reputation by the Times Higher Education World University Rankings; 45th globally and 6th in the UK by U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities; and 46th globally by the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). According to The New York Times' ranking of the world's most valuable graduates, King's College London placed 32nd globally.
March 14, 2022/BioValleyBIOON/---In a new study, Dr. John Maher and his research team from the School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences at King's College London, in collaboration with Leucid Bio and biotech company LUMICKS, described a novel chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell (CAR-T) therapy: it incorporates a second receptor, enhancing the ability of CAR-T cells to target and destroy specific cancer cells in preclinical models. The gene editing involved offers new hope in improving its effectiveness as a cancer immunotherapy.The relevant research results were published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology on February 9, 2022, under the title "Engineering of an Avidity-Optimized CD19-Specific Parallel Chimeric Antigen Receptor That Delivers Dual CD28 and 4-1BB Co-Stimulation”。
Dr. Maher and his colleagues were able to utilize the z-Movi Cell Avidity Analyzer as part of their collaboration with LUMICKS. This new analyzer measures avidity—the binding strength between an antibody and its target antigen on the surface.
Design a set of CD19-specific CARs, image from Frontiers in Immunology, 2022, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.836549.
These authors used the technology to measure the binding strength between CAR-T cells and target cancer cells, enabling the identification of optimal candidates for immunotherapy. Dr. Maher said, "By using the LUMICKS z-Movi analyzer, we can easily find the 'optimal' CAR whose binding to target cells is neither too strong nor too weak and which shows superior killing ability in preclinical models."
CAR-T cells refer to an immunotherapy that involves genetically modifying T cells, enabling them to target and destroy cancer cells. This is achieved by genetically reprogramming T cells to express the CAR protein, allowing them to specifically bind to and attack cancer cells.
CAR-T cells are currently used in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) as a treatment for blood cancer, while Dr. Maher's team is now designing CAR-T cell therapies for the treatment of solid tumors.
Andrea Candelli, Chief Scientific Officer of LUMICKS, added, "We are reassured by the additional evidence shown in this paper regarding the critical role that measuring cell affinity plays in the discovery and optimization of CAR-T cells to make immunotherapy more effective." (Bioon.com)
References:
Leena Halim et al. Engineering of an Avidity-Optimized CD19-Specific Parallel Chimeric Antigen Receptor That Delivers Dual CD28 and 4-1BB Co-Stimulation. Frontiers in Immunology, 2022, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2022.836549.