epcam-directed car t-cell therapy

EpCAM-directed CAR T-cell therapy is an adoptive cellular immunotherapy designed to target cells expressing the Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule (EpCAM), a cell-surface glycoprotein frequently overexpressed in various epithelial carcinomas, including lung, colorectal, gastric, and breast cancers. The therapy involves engineering a patient's T cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that specifically recognizes EpCAM, enabling the modified immune cells to identify and eliminate tumor cells. While showing promise in preclinical models, its efficacy in solid tumors and brain metastases can be limited by the highly immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), particularly the presence of tumor-associated macrophages and microglia (TAM/M). Research, such as that conducted at LMU University Hospital Munich, suggests that combining EpCAM CAR-T therapy with CSF1R inhibitors (like PLX 3397) to deplete or reprogram TAM/M can enhance CAR T-cell infiltration, intratumoral persistence, and overall therapeutic potency.

Other names

EpCAM CAR-Tanti-EpCAM CAR-TEpCAM-directed CAR T-cell therapy