Next generation engineered T-cell therapy for brain lymphoma

Most patients with aggressive brain lymphoma die of their disease. T-cells are white-blood cells that are part of our immune system. T-cells can be imagined as "robots" moving through the body on a "seek-and-destroy" mission against virus infected cells. T-cells do not normally attack lymphoma cells, only infected cells. However, it is possible to genetically engineer T-cells taken from a patient's blood so they now recognize lymphoma cells. These engineered T-cells are called "CAR T-cells" and once they are injected back into the patient, they find and kill lymphoma cells. Dr Martin Pule at University College London will test a CAR T-cell treatment for aggressive brain lymphoma in a clinical study. While CAR T- cells may be good treatments for lymphoma outside the brain, treating brain lymphoma is harder: the brain is more difficult to reach than other parts of the body. Additionally, when CAR T-cells work quickly, they cause inflammation which the brain may not tolerate compared with other organs. The project plans to engineer CAR T-cells in an advanced way so the team can track them using a special MRI scanner and control how quickly they work with a drug. This will allow to safely and effectively develop this new treatment.