TEGs
Jurgen Kuball (the Netherlands) presented another next generation of CARs: T cells engineered to express a defined gdTCR (TEGs). gdT cells are a subset of immune cells that sense metabolic disorders in tumor cells, independent of mutational load. They are associated with favorable clinical outcomes in cancer patients. Kuball and others have now transferred gdTCR into conventional abT cells to produce a novel type of CARs.
Kuball concluded that “within the limitations of current models, TEGs target primary AML and MM but do neither interfere with engraftment of hematopoietic progenitors nor harm subsets of the hematopoiesis or the bone marrow niche. TEGs are a promising addition to the currently available immune therapeutic strategies as they target cancer as a metabolic disorder.” A phase I first in human study is currently recruiting patients and the first patient has recently been treated. TEGS also are a promising therapy for solid malignancies because TEGs could bring novel tumor-associated antigens into the field.