Sub-Journal of Science: Using hydrogels to deliver CAR-T cells could improve the treatment of solid tumors

Currently, a cutting-edge approach to cancer treatment that is exciting for scientists involves collecting and reprogramming a patient's T cells -- a specialized set of immune cells -- and then infusing them into the same patient, ready to detect and destroy cancer cells

Now, in a new study, researchers from Stanford University have developed a way to boost genetically modified immune cells -- called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells ( CAR-T ) -- The delivery method of the "attack power"

"A lot of research in the CAR-T cell field has focused on how to make better cells themselves, but not on how to make cells more efficient in the body," said Eric Appel, co-corresponding author and assistant professor in Stanford's Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

glued together

Currently, intravenous (IV) infusion is the main mode of delivery of CAR-T cells

"It's kind of like a battlefield, full of scary stuff trying to repel these T cells," said Abigail Grosskopf, a doctoral student in chemical engineering and co-first author of the paper

To potently activate CAR-T cells to eradicate tumors, these cells must be chronically exposed to high concentrations of specialized signaling proteins

Instead, Grosskopf and her colleagues developed a hydrogel that can temporarily house cytokines and CAR-T cells near tumors

Injectable hydrogels create a local inflammatory microenvironment for co-delivery of CAR-T cells and cytokines to improve solid tumor therapy

"The two components can be injected through a small needle," Grosskopf said.

The hydrogel's meshwork is tight enough to keep tiny cytokines from slipping out

Treat tumors in mice

After identifying the optimal hydrogel formulation to deliver cancer treatment, the authors tested it on mice with tumors

The authors also tried injecting hydrogels containing CAR-T cells and cytokines on the opposite side of the mouse body away from the tumor growth

"What we're evaluating is primarily injecting near the tumor," Appel said.

Overall, the new study suggests a simple and effective way to improve a promising cancer treatment

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Simple delivery method enhances a promising cancer treatment
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