The figure illustrates how a CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptor) is designed by selecting genes that encode for various parts of the T-cell receptor, co-stimulatory molecules, and an antibody that recognizes cancer cells. Collectively, these genes encode for an artificial receptor (CAR) that can identify cancer cells and signal the T cell to kill the cancer cell.
Lymphoma affects over 500,000 people globally each year, resulting in more than 300,000 deaths. A new treatment, CAR-T cell therapy, is currently revolutionizing the treatment and significantly improving the chances of survival for patients who do not respond to conventional treatments. CAR-T cell therapy involves introducing an artificial gene into the patient's T-cells. This gene encodes a designed antigen receptor that binds to molecules on the surface of cancer cells (typically CD19) and instructs the T cell to kill the cancer cell. At the Centre for Cellular Immunotherapy of Haematologic Cancer Odense (CITCO) at Odense University Hospital, we are developing the next generation of CAR-T cells to make them even more effective.