GRP78-CAR T cells

GRP78-CAR T cells are an investigational chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy designed to target cell-surface Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), also known as HSPA5 or BiP. Developed by researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, these T cells are engineered using a retroviral vector to express a CAR that utilizes a GRP78-specific peptide as its antigen recognition domain. GRP78 is a heat shock protein and endoplasmic reticulum chaperone that is typically intracellular but becomes overexpressed and translocated to the cell surface in various cancers, including pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML), in response to cellular stress. Preclinical data indicate that GRP78-CAR T cells demonstrate potent anti-leukemic activity in vitro and in vivo, with minimal impact on normal hematopoietic progenitor cells, suggesting a favorable safety profile for the treatment of AML.