Nature sub-journal: This method can shorten the culture time of CAR T cells

These results demonstrate great potential in terms of the time, materials, and labor required to produce CAR-T cells, which are especially beneficial for patients with rapidly progressive disease and in resource-poor healthcare settings

CAR-T cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy used to fight cancer with a patient's own altered immune cells

In animal models, researchers have learned that the quality, rather than quantity, of a CAR-T cell product is an important determinant of its efficacy

Traditional manufacturing methods require T cells to be stimulated (or "activated") to induce cell replication and numerical expansion

The process of engineering T cells is expensive and time-intensive because the treatment must be manufactured for each patient

This research is a catalyst for more clinical studies into how engineered CAR-T cells can work in patients with specific cancers through this shortened approach

The study was led by researchers at the Center for Cellular Immunotherapy Michael C.

"While traditional manufacturing methods for making CAR-T cells take days to weeks, there is still a need to reduce the time and cost of producing these complex therapies," Milone said.

"This innovative approach is notable because it may be able to help patients who might not otherwise benefit from CAR-T cell therapy, such as those with rapidly progressive cancers, which currently require large numbers of patients," Ghassemi said.

In 2017, the experimental therapy, now known as Kymriah, became the first CAR-T cell therapy approved by the U.

Saba Ghassemi, Joseph S.