Universal chimeric antigen receptor (Universal CAR)

Universal CAR is a synthetic, modular receptor platform designed to confer customizable antigen specificity to engineered immune cells. Unlike conventional CARs, which target a single antigen via a fixed antibody fragment, Universal CARs employ an extracellular domain that recognizes an adapter molecule (e.g., tagged antibody, biotinylated protein, or ligand). This adapter binds to cell-surface antigens, allowing Universal CAR–expressing cells to be retargeted using diverse adapters. Universal CAR architectures include anti-tag CARs, bispecific adapters, and Fc receptor-based systems. Universal CARs are being developed to enable “off-the-shelf” cell therapies for cancer, facilitate screening of antigen-specific binders, and allow rapid retargeting to evolving tumor antigens by simply switching the adapter molecule. These platforms are not single molecular entities but rather a design strategy incorporating combinations of extracellular binding modules, membrane anchors, and intracellular signaling domains, with significant ongoing innovation and clinical translation[1][2][4][5]. Universal CAR is an engineering approach and not a naturally occurring molecule, gene, or receptor. If you are seeking information on a defined molecular target (e.g., CD19), additional clarification is needed. Universal CAR platforms rely on adapter molecules or tags (such as biotin) and are most relevant to immunotherapy and synthetic biology[1][2][4][5].

Other names

universal immune receptorUIRbiotin binding immune receptor (BBIR; refers to one subtype)anti-tag CAR

Adapter-mediated immune cell redirection (immune effector cell is activated upon binding to an extracellular adapter molecule that bridges CAR to a tagged antibody or other targeting agent); Cytolytic response against antigen-expressing cells via T cell/NK cell activation