CAR T cells, CAR NK cells, and CAR macrophages exhibit distinct traits in glioma models but are similarly enhanced when combined with cytokines.

ABSTRACT: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a promising immunotherapy against cancer. Although there is a growing interest in other cell types, a comparison of CAR immune effector cells in challenging solid tumor contexts is lacking. Here, we compare mouse and human NKG2D-CAR-expressing T cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and macrophages against glioblastoma, the most aggressive primary brain tumor. In vitro we show that T cell cancer killing is CAR dependent, whereas intrinsic cytotoxicity overrules CAR dependence for NK cells, and CAR macrophages reduce glioma cells in co-culture assays. In orthotopic immunocompetent glioma mouse models, systemically administered CAR T cells demonstrate superior accumulation in the tumor, and each immune cell type induces distinct changes in the tu

SUBMITTER: Look T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11866521 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature