Glioblastoma: Dual-target CAR T-cell therapy slows growth of aggressive brain cancer 👏
This is exciting news. Glioblastoma remains one of the most aggressive brain cancers, with limited treatment options and survival often measured in months. But Penn Medicine’s Dual-Target CAR T-cell Therapy is showing real promise.
🧬 In a first-of-its-kind trial, this CAR-T therapy—targeting EGFR and IL13Rα2—shrank tumors in 62% of patients with recurrent glioblastoma. Some even showed disease stability beyond a year—remarkable in such an aggressive disease.
📊 Patient Metrics:
- ✅ 62% (8 of 13 patients) with remaining tumor saw reductions in tumor size.
- ✅ 11% (2 patients) had stable disease beyond 6 months.
- ✅ 43% (3 of 7 patients) were still alive after a year.
- ✅ One patient experienced no tumor growth for over 16 months despite advanced disease.
🌟 The therapy is delivered directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, allowing CAR T-cells to circulate effectively. While most tumors eventually regrew, CAR T-cells were still detectable after a year in some patients, indicating ongoing immune activity.
Image: Naeblys via Getty Images
👏 Kudos to the Penn Medicine research team for pushing the boundaries in neuro-oncology. With new trials underway for newly diagnosed patients, this could be a turning point in glioblastoma treatment.
Penn’s Dual-Target CAR T-Cell Therapy: Key Takeaways
CAR T-cell therapy has revolutionized treatment in blood cancers, but solid tumors like glioblastoma posed challenges. The dual-target approach—targeting both EGFR and IL13Rα2—combined with direct delivery into cerebrospinal fluid, appears to offer a new path forward.
Findings were presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting and published in Nature Medicine.
“Seeing recurrent GBM tumors shrink like this is extraordinary,” said Dr. Stephen Bagley, the trial’s principal investigator. “This therapy changed the disease’s trajectory for many patients.”
What’s Next?
➡️ The final phase I cohort will explore multiple dosing of the CAR T-cells to prolong responses.
➡️ New trials will soon begin for newly diagnosed GBM patients.
➡️ Neurotoxicity side effects (in 56% of patients) were manageable, with no unexpected safety concerns.
🔬 “Periods of tumor stability can vastly improve patient quality of life,” says Dr. Donald O’Rourke, who led the development of the dual CAR T construct. “Our goal is to refine the treatment for even better outcomes.”
💡 This promising research was funded by Kite (a Gilead Company), the Abramson Cancer Center, and the Templeton Family Initiative in Neuro-Oncology.
📄 Full article available on Penn Today.
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