New CAR-T Development--tracking the tumor attack

[NPfisherman]

The Science is happening so rapidly... Researchers have now found a way to attach a radiotracer to track CAR-T cells and their movement into tumors and the spleen. This will allow scientists to also determine how long the CAR-T cells remain in the system.

cell.com/molecular-therapy-...

A question that has needed answering for some time. Unfortunately, because no radiotracer is produced by the spleen, we can not be sure the true length of time the attack continues. Memory T cells continue to respond to antigens--the role of memory T cells:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memor...

The plot continues...there are several clinical trials occurring for CAR-T and prostate cancer...This was a reply yesterday by tango65 on a post: Worth looking into for those who are struggling IMHO.... :

clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/resu...

The Science is Coming...so keep fighting !!!

Don Pescado

[tom67inMA]

Not long ago, I'd read each of your posts about new ideas and treatments in development and think "don't hold your breath", as most will turn out to be dead ends or deliver modest but not overwhelming results. That said, the sheer volume of news makes it likely that one of these will be the next major breakthrough.

If only we knew what will and what won't before the studies are done. Keep up the posts!

[cujoe in reply to tom67inMA]

Tom, I have a second cancer, CLL, and have had the good fortune to have never needed treatment over the 13 years since being diagnosed. In the early years after diagnosis in 2006, all the mainstream treatments were infusions with sever side effects, none of which were curative. The only curative option was stem cell transplants (usually only considered for very young patients) that proved fatal in about 25% of those treated.

During that time research and clinical trials were underway to develop more effective treatments. I developed a similar "don't hold your breath" perspective as I saw that most seemingly positive reports on basic research were never followed up or failed to produce treatments. However, eventually treatments did result from those research efforts, including once-a-day oral meds like ibrutinib, and they now make it possible for most patients to obtain "chronic disease" status with continual dosing or durable remissions completely off all treatments. The transition from CLL being and incurable disease to a chronic one (with increasing evidence of cures in some patients) has come over a relatively short period of time, esp. when you consider the time it takes for clinical trial efficacy to reach the general patient community and become part of accepted SOC.

The takeaway is that maybe you will only need to "hold your breath" for a short period of time before some similar treatment breakthroughs show up for PCa. Keep da' faith, Bro' and Keep watching for The Don's Science reporting. Be Well - cujoe

[NPfisherman in reply to tom67inMA]

One of the few things that TA and I agree on is that the key to finding an answer for PCa and cancers in general is to figure out a way to further unleash the force of our own immune system...We have seen multiple CAR-T developments--CAR-T with a vaccine, the development of 4th generation CAR-T cells, giving CAR-T with a PD-L1 inhibitor, and the list goes on... and then there are the vaccine developments, as the work on getting macrophages involved... In the meantime, I am watching for the BRD4 inhibitor--ZEN 3694 to finish Phase 2 and move to Phase 3... an add on drug that will make the new AR drugs work better and longer... the first of the add on drugs that is coming... The 3 drug cocktail for PCa is probably 5 years away...

Don Pescado