CAR-T cells shape the immunological potential of the tumor microenvironment
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ABSTRACT: CAR-T cells lose effectiveness over time and subsequent lines of immunotherapy become increasingly less potent. Investigating patients from two independent clinical trials at single cell resolution, we demonstrate that CAR-T cell treatment drives bystander CD8+ T lymphocytes along the differentiation path, which initially supports a clonal anti-tumor immune response, but ultimately results in terminal exhaustion, reduced potential for self-renewal and sustained depletion of the tumor-reactive T cell repertoire. The immune environment changes orchestrated by CAR-T cells result in reduced immune capacity, which could potentially diminish responses to other immunotherapies, such as response to checkpoint blockade. We describe the transcriptional modules that regulate plasticity of the T lymphocytic compartment and identify Tim3/Gal9 and CD27/CD70 as two crucial interactions of the cell-cell communication network that regulates immune capacity. The ability of the CAR-T cells to shape a regulatory immune microenvironment may explain why repeated immunotherapies become increasingly less successful, even when targeting distinct antigens. Our studies provide a framework for assessing and manipulating the ‘mileage’ of the immune system as a predictive marker and a therapeutic opportunity.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE230033 | GEO | 2025/09/17
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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