Novel adapter CAR-T cell technology for precisely controllable multiplex cancer targeting.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T therapy holds great promise to sustainably improve cancer treatment. However, currently, a broad applicability of CAR-T cell therapies is hampered by limited CAR-T cell versatility and tractability and the lack of exclusive target antigens to discriminate cancerous from healthy tissues. To achieve temporal and qualitative control on CAR-T function, we engineered the Adapter CAR (AdCAR) system.

Titratable Pharmacological Regulation of CAR T Cells Using Zinc Finger-Based Transcription Factors.

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has emerged as an attractive strategy for cancer immunotherapy. Despite remarkable success for hematological malignancies, excessive activity and poor control of CAR T cells can result in severe adverse events requiring control strategies to improve safety. This work illustrates the feasibility of a zinc finger-based inducible switch system for transcriptional regulation of an anti-CD20 CAR in primary T cells providing small molecule-inducible control over therapeutic functions.

Human IFITM3 restricts chikungunya virus and Mayaro virus infection and is susceptible to virus-mediated counteraction.

Interferon-induced transmembrane (IFITM) proteins restrict membrane fusion and virion internalization of several enveloped viruses. The role of IFITM proteins during alphaviral infection of human cells and viral counteraction strategies are insufficiently understood. Here, we characterized the impact of human IFITMs on the entry and spread of chikungunya virus and Mayaro virus and provide first evidence for a CHIKV-mediated antagonism of IFITMs.