Researchers at the University of North Carolina have developed a novel immunotherapy that targets acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with greater precision and fewer side effects than existing treatments. The study, published in the journal Blood, describes engineered immune cells capable of destroying cancerous cells while leaving healthy blood tissue unharmed, addressing a key limitation of current therapies that often fail to distinguish between malignant and normal cells.
The research was led by immunologist Gianpietro Dotti and hematologist Paul Armistead. Their teams created chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells that recognize a specific protein, CD33, found on AML cells but also on normal myeloid cells. To avoid toxicity to healthy cells, the engineers designed a “safety switch” that allows the CAR T cells to be selectively inactivated if they attack normal tissue. In preclinical models, the therapy effectively eradicated leukemia without causing severe bone marrow suppression, a common side effect of standard treatments.
“This approach could expand options for patients battling this deadly disease,” Dotti said. AML is an aggressive blood cancer with a five-year survival rate of only about 30% in adults, and current treatments like chemotherapy often cause significant damage to healthy blood cells, leading to life-threatening infections and bleeding. The new therapy aims to provide a more targeted attack, potentially improving outcomes and quality of life.
The study also highlights the broader potential of advanced cancer therapies. Companies like Calidi Biotherapeutics Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI) are working on similar innovations, focusing on next-generation immunotherapies that could eventually offer side-effect-free cancer treatments. Further research will be needed to translate the UNC findings into clinical applications, but the team is optimistic about the future.
“This is a step toward more sophisticated and safer cancer therapies,” Armistead noted. The researchers plan to conduct additional studies to optimize the safety switch and evaluate the therapy in human trials. If successful, the approach could be adapted for other blood cancers and even solid tumors.
