2025
December
Bringing in neutrophils to improve CAR-T efficacy in solid tumors
December 17, 2025
Several challenges limit CAR T cell efficacy in solid tumors, including the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), tumor heterogeneity, and downregulation of CAR target antigen expression on tumor cells. In a recent publication in Cancer Cell, Zuo et al. assessed the armoring of dual-targeting CAR-T with IL-36γ, which helped to overcome these challenges in...
The downside of checkpoint blockade: a loss of stem-like T cells
December 10, 2025
T cells that maintain a stem-like state play a role in replenishing immune responses long-term, but how these cells are shaped and maintained in the context of antitumor immunity is not fully understood. To investigate this question, Hor et al. combined a multiplex 3D volumetric imaging method with conventional immunological assays. This revealed...
IL-9-powered CAR-T for improved solid tumor responses
December 3, 2025
Overcoming immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is a major challenge in CAR T cell research to improve therapeutic efficacy towards solid tumors. To address some of the CAR-T functionality challenges, Castelli et al. engineered CAR T cells with an authentic IL-9 receptor (IL-9R) to enable IL-9 responsiveness. These CAR-T were assessed in...
