نتائج واعدة لعلاج CAR-T في القضاء على أورام الدماغ الخطيرة

A recent scientific study has revealed promising results for a new immunotherapy that could pave the way for a radical change in the treatment of glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat types of brain cancer.

The Daily Mail reported that the study was conducted by researchers from King's College London in the UK and McMaster University in Canada, and published in the scientific journal Nature. It showed that an advanced version of CAR-T therapy successfully eliminated tumors in the majority of animals involved in preclinical trials, achieving long periods free of disease.

Glioblastoma is considered one of the most dangerous brain tumors in adults, affecting about 3,200 people annually in the UK, with approximately 95% of patients dying within five years of diagnosis. The current average survival time is only between 12 and 18 months.

Doctors face significant challenges in treating this type of cancer due to its spread within brain tissues through fine extensions that make complete surgical removal nearly impossible. Additionally, the remaining cells often exhibit resistance to both chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

The researchers emphasized the development of CAR-T therapy, a treatment method that uses immune cells taken from the patient themselves, which are genetically modified to recognize and attack cancer cells before being reinjected into the body. This therapy is already used to treat some blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

During the study, scientists were able to identify a protein known as GPNMB present on the surface of tumor cells, as well as on some immune cells that cancer exploits to protect itself from treatment.

After modifying CAR-T cells to recognize this protein, they became capable of targeting both the tumor and the supportive immune cells at the same time.

The results showed the therapy's success in completely eliminating tumors in 12 out of 13 mice in two of the main trials, with the animals remaining tumor-free for more than four months in one group and for more than five months in another group. Researchers described these results as strong at the preclinical study level.

Professor Sheila Singh, a neurosurgery and neuro-oncology professor at King's College London and McMaster University and the principal investigator of the study, stated: "Glioblastoma should not be viewed merely as a mass of cancer cells, but as an integrated system that includes the tumor and its surrounding immune environment." She added that the new approach targets the tumor itself, along with the immune cells that help it resist treatment, which may increase the chances of treatment success compared to traditional strategies that focus solely on eliminating cancer cells.

Co-researcher Shan Grewal explained that the study indicates the necessity of targeting the immune support system that the tumor relies on for survival, not just the tumor itself, emphasizing that this strategy could represent an important step toward developing more effective treatments.

Despite the positive results, researchers stressed that the treatment has not yet been tested on humans, and transitioning to clinical trials will be essential to ensure its safety and efficacy before it is adopted as a treatment option.

Researchers around the world continue to study the potential of CAR-T therapy in combating brain tumors, in light of the lack of significant developments in glioblastoma treatment over the past two decades, making these results a new source of hope for patients and their families.