La dolce vita: fueling chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells with Glut1 to improve therapeutic efficacy

Abstract

The approval of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies for the treatment of hematological cancers has marked a new era in cancer care, with seven products being FDA approved since 2017. However, challenges remain, and while profound effects are observed initially in myeloma, the majority of patients relapse, which is concomitant with poor CAR T cell persistence. Similarly, the efficacy of CAR T cell therapy is limited in solid tumors, largely due to tumor antigen heterogeneity, immune evasion mechanisms, and poor infiltration and persistence. In this recent study, Guerrero et al endeavor to improve the efficacy of human CAR T cells by overexpressing the glucose transporter GLUT1 and show that GLUT1 overexpressing CAR T cells have improved capacity to persist and control tumor burden in vivo.