Optimizing tumor-targeting chimeric antigen receptor T cells in B-cell lymphoma patients

Evaluation of: Savoldo B, Ramos CA, Liu E et al. CD28 costimulation improves expansion and persistence of chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells in lymphoma patients. J. Clin. Invest. 121(5), 1822-1826 (2011). Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells are promising antitumor immunotherapies. However, there are limited reports of persistence, tumor-homing and clinical efficacy in cancer patients. Savoldo and colleagues used a novel approach to compare the use of first- and second-generation tumor-specific CAR-T cells in six B-cell lymphoma patients. They provide one of the first comparisons in human subjects and demonstrate the superiority of second-generation CAR-T cells to expand, survive and home to the tumor site.