Will develop more effective immunotherapies for cancer

A form of immunotherapy called CAR-T cell therapy has revolutionized the treatment of some types of blood cancer. Wallenberg Academy Fellow Axel Hyrenius Wittsten is improving and developing new forms of CAR-T cell therapies, so that more patients can benefit from this treatment.

In CAR-T cell therapy, lab staff genetically modify a cancer patient’s own immune cells, T cells, giving them an designed protein on their surface. This protein allows the immune cells to attach to the cancer cells and attack them. For some types of blood cancer, CAR-T cell therapy can extend a person’s life by many years, but for other cancers it barely works at all. 

One challenge with CAR-T cell therapies is finding a unique attachment point on the cancer cells’ surface – one which is not found on healthy cells. Another challenge is that tumors can block the CAR-T cells’ attack. CAR-T cells also often have poor persistence, so they quickly lose their effectiveness.

Dr Axel Hyrenius Wittsten, Lund University, is working to overcome the challenges in CAR-T cell therapies. For example, he has developed CAR-T cells that attach to two different points on the cancer cells’ surface, so the treatment can target acute myeloid leukemia (AML). He has also developed CAR-T cells that get an extra boost when they attach to the cancer cells, making them more persistent. In addition, he is experimenting with genetically modifying stem cells that can generate several types of CAR-immune cells, allowing a broader attack on the tumor. 

Photo: Patrik Lundin