Researchers at the Mass General Cancer Center have developed a new CAR-T cell therapy named CAR-TEAM to treat glioblastoma, a lethal brain cancer.

Initial results of CAR-TEAM therapy showed significant tumor shrinkage in three patients, with one patient being nearly cancer-free during follow-up.

Plans are underway to test an approach for extending the longevity of the CAR-TEAM treatment in a fresh cohort of three patients.

A separate phase 1 clinical study by Mustang Bio and City of Hope demonstrated 50% of recurrent glioblastoma patients achieving disease stability or improvement, including one patient cancer-free for nearly five years.

The study's approach involved direct injection of CAR-T cells into both the tumor and cerebrospinal fluid, successfully targeting the IL13Rα2 antigen with minimal side effects and no reported neurotoxicity.

While the new CAR-T cell therapies have proven safe and effective in reducing tumor size, further extensive trials are necessary to evaluate their full potential in treating glioblastoma.