In a new study, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania described genetically modified them devised a method of identifying a composition – made of a known cancer-associated surface protein and a cancer-associated carbohydrate molecules — the CAR CAR-T can be used in immunotherapy to treat a range of solid tumors. They pancreatic cancer model mice confirmed the effectiveness of this new CAR-T therapy. Research results on June 21, 2016, published online in the journal Immunity, the paper entitled “Engineered CAR T Cells Targeting the Cancer-Associated Tn-Glycoform of the Membrane Mucin MUC1 Control Adenocarcinoma”.

In this study, Posey, paper co-corresponding author Dr. Laura Johnson and colleagues from the University of Chicago and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, to construct a particular expression of CAR CAR-T cells, which specifically recognizes this CAR mucin 1 ( MUC1) on the truncated sugar molecules. MUC1 protein on the surface of normal cells do not exist, but on the surface of cancer cells in many types of solid tumors and leukemia abound.

When these cells were injected back to CAR-T leukemia or pancreatic cancer in mice, these tumors have shrunk, and in most mice is eliminated, resulting in increased survival. CAR-T after receiving treatment, pancreatic cancer mice still alive 113 days; however, were not able to accept the targeting of sugar molecules recognize MUC1 protein having a truncated mouse CAR-T treatment, in the end of the experiment when only one third of the mice survived. Importantly, these genetically modified CAR-T can not harm normal human cells, it can not hurt do not have this abnormal glucose molecules in cells.

These findings suggest that the abnormal cancer-specific targeting sugar molecules on the identification found in solid tumors and normal tissue in the presence of protein may be a new immunotherapy for treating solid tumors. This ability to identify tumor combination may cause people in the future for cancer patients to develop a safe and effective therapy.