Abstract IA19: New directions in T cell therapies for cancer

Abstract

Engineering T cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) has shown great promise in the clinical setting for B-cell malignancies such as adult and pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This therapy is so effective in ALL that based on relatively small numbers of patients, multiple academic centers and their industry partners have received Breakthrough Designation from the FDA to commercialize CAR T cell products. However, successful application of this form of therapy to other cancers is likely to require refinements in the molecular and clinical technologies. Our laboratory is focused on generating next-generation CAR T cells that overcome some of the main barriers for their widespread use: (1) cytokine release syndrome, (2) antigen escape, and (3) susceptibility to immunosuppression. We will discuss our ongoing work in these areas, including some of the successes and obstacles to modeling these systems in the preclinical setting. Citation Format: Marcela Maus. New directions in T cell therapies for cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2017 Oct 1-4; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2018;6(9 Suppl):Abstract nr IA19.