SAR T cells

SAR T cells, or **synthetic agonistic receptor T cells**, are genetically engineered T cells used in cell therapy to target and treat cancer. Unlike traditional chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells, which use antibody-based receptors to recognize external antigens on tumor cells, SAR T cells are designed to express a synthetic agonistic receptor that can trigger T cell activation in response to a specific, engineered ligand. This **synthetic receptor-ligand system** enables precise and tunable control over T cell activation, theoretically improving safety and minimizing off-tumor toxicity. SAR T cell therapy is an experimental form of adoptive cellular immunotherapy, investigated primarily in preclinical and early-phase clinical trials for cancer, and is part of a class of next-generation T cell therapies that seek to enhance both efficacy and safety compared to conventional CAR T or TCR-engineered T cells. The approach was notably introduced by academic teams at institutions such as the Technical University of Munich and the University of Würzburg.

Other names

synthetic agonistic receptor T cells