polysialic acid-specific CAR T cells

Polysialic acid-specific CAR T cells are an experimental chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy engineered to recognize polysialic acid (polySia), a polymer of sialic acid residues overexpressed on the surface of various tumors, including high-risk pediatric neuroblastoma. These autologous T cells are modified to express a synthetic CAR whose extracellular binding domain targets polySia, enabling selective recognition and killing of polySia-positive cancer cells while sparing normal tissues with low or absent expression.[3] The approach, developed in academia (e.g., by Avery Posey’s group at the University of Pennsylvania), aims to exploit the association of polySia with tumor migration, invasion, and poor prognosis to deliver a more effective and specific cell therapy for solid tumors such as neuroblastoma, with preclinical work showing potent in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor activity in xenograft models.[3]

Other names

polySia-specific CAR T cellspolysialic acid-specific CAR T-cell therapy