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#ScienceSaturday
❓ What if cancer treatment could target not only tumor cells, but also the tumor’s stromal support: non-malignant, non-cancerous cells within the tumor microenvironment, that actively help cancer grow, spread, and resist treatment?
➡️ In a new study published in
@CellCellPress, researchers identified uPAR, a cell-surface protein linked to aggressive tumor behavior, as a marker found on both solid tumor cells and the fibrotic, immune-suppressive environment that helps sustain them.
➡️ The team developed uPAR-targeted CAR T cells that attacked both tumor cells and their supportive stroma, leading to durable tumor regression across multiple cancer models, including metastatic disease.
➡️ They also found that senescence-inducing therapies, like chemotherapy, increased uPAR expression and made tumors even more vulnerable to CAR T cell treatment.
🌟 This dual-targeting strategy could help overcome some of the biggest barriers to CAR T therapy in solid tumors, including immune suppression and treatment resistance.
🔗 Read the study:
cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092…
@ZedaZhang @Aveline_Filliol @LoweLabMSKCC