Advancing Glioblastoma Immunotherapy
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive brain tumor with a poor prognosis. A Shot For Life funds immunotherapy research at the MGH Cancer Center, focusing on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. This innovative approach trains T cells to target tumor tissue, offering hope for effective treatment.
Our support has enabled preclinical work on a novel CAR T cell (CART.BiTE), published in Nature Biotechnology in 2019 by Dr. Bryan Choi and Dr. Marcela Maus. This therapy is now in clinical trials at MGH, led by Dr. William Curry, marking the first cell therapy for glioblastoma patients. ASFL’s contributions are critical to enhancing our understanding of the immune system and developing new therapies.
Additional research includes tandem CAR T cells targeting EGFRvIII and IL-13Rα2 for heterogeneous glioblastoma and bavituximab to reduce immunosuppressive cells in newly diagnosed patients.