5E5-CD2z CAR T cells

5E5-CD2z CAR T cells are an experimental chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy designed to target the tumor-associated glycoform of Mucin 1 (Tn-MUC1), which is frequently overexpressed in various adenocarcinomas, including pancreatic cancer. The construct features the 5E5 scFv for high-specificity binding to the Tn-MUC1 epitope and incorporates a novel signaling architecture using the human CD2 cytoplasmic tail as a costimulatory domain in tandem with the CD3ζ activation motif. Developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, this design aims to overcome the limitations of traditional CD28- or 4-1BB-based CARs by providing a balanced signaling profile that supports both rapid tumor debulking and sustained T-cell persistence. Preclinical evidence indicates that CD2 costimulation promotes an early effector-memory phenotype, enhances metabolic fitness through mTORC1 and glycolytic pathways, and reduces T-cell exhaustion, leading to superior in vivo tumor control in orthotopic pancreatic cancer models compared to standard second-generation CAR designs.

Other names

anti-TnMUC1-CD2z CAR T cellsanti-TnMUC-1-CD2z CAR T cellsanti-TnMUC 1-CD2z CAR T cells5E5-CD2-CD3zeta CAR T cells5E5-CD2-CD3z CAR T cells