Ohio State cancer researchers are working every day to find new uses for a revolutionary immunotherapy treatment. CAR T-cell therapy has been saving the lives of cancer patients for years through the removal and reintroduction of white blood cells. The treatment — which was first studied at a small number of leading cancer centers, including the OSUCCC – James — involves the placing of a chimeric antigen receptor (or CAR) on to a cell, which can then identify and destroy cancer cells. “We actually take immune system cells and infuse them back into that same patient to fight, kill and eradicating cancer,” Nathan Denlinger, DO, MS, says. Ohio State researchers began studying CAR T in 2015, and have since administered the treatment successfully to a number of patients. While the therapy has mostly focused on blood cancers, experts are working to significantly expand its use. “Although CAR T is amazing, there are still patients that it doesn't work for. So, we need to study the tumor microenvironment at a cellular level to decipher how those tumor cells are hiding from the CAR T cells,” Denlinger says. “We're working on multiple other types of diseases as well, including solid tumors such as melanoma, and lung and breast cancer.” Click to learn more about the CAR T-cell therapy at the OSUCCC – James. CAR T-cell therapy represents a big step forward in the use of immunotherapy to treat cancer. When successful, the process often works at a faster rate than some existing treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, with fewer side effects Click to learn more about immunotherapy at Ohio State. By tailoring blood cells for specific patients, CAR T providers have worked with patients to produce long-term remission in 30% to 40% of cases. “Tumors find a way to evade the immune system,” says Yiping Yang, MD, PhD, the director of the Division of Hematology at Ohio State. CAR T-cell therapy is mechanically different from conventional chemotherapy; it is genetically engineered for that patient.” Learn more about leukemia and lymphoma treatment at Ohio State.