Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has
fundamentally changed the therapeutic landscape
for haematological malignancies. CAR T-cell therapy
involves the collection of a patient’s T cells, ex-vivo
genetic modification of the cells to encode a synthetic
receptor that binds a specific tumour antigen, and then
re-infusion of these cells back into the patient. The
clinical success of CAR T-cell therapy in blood cancers
has generated enthusiasm for testing the technology
in solid tumours. However, the biology of solid
tumours is more complex than that of haematological
malignancies. Unfortunately, CAR T-cell therapy for
solid tumours suffered a setback on June 2, 2021, when
Tmunity Therapeutics stopped its phase 1 clinical trial
in men with prostate cancer because two patients died
from immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity
syndrome (ICANS),