"Revolutionary Viral Injection Enables In-Body Production of Cancer-Fighting CAR-T Cells"
Researchers are making progress in developing a method to produce CAR T cells within the body, potentially making cancer therapies more accessible. Instead of the current process of removing T cells from patients, engineering them to target cancer cells, and reintroducing them, the new approach involves injecting a virus that infects T cells and inserts the necessary genes to guide them to tumor cells. Results from experiments on monkeys showed promising reductions in B-cell counts, mimicking the action of approved CAR-T therapies. The technique could expand the use of CAR-T therapies, which are currently expensive and difficult to access. However, challenges remain, including ensuring the process targets only T cells and leaves other cells untouched.