News: 0177811799

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Cancer-Fighting Immune Cells Could Soon Be Engineered Inside Our Bodies (nature.com)

(Tuesday May 27, 2025 @05:20PM (msmash) from the putting-the-cart-before-the-horse dept.)


Researchers are developing techniques to genetically [1]modify cancer-fighting immune cells directly inside patients rather than in expensive laboratory facilities, potentially making CAR-T therapy accessible to far more people.

Current CAR-T treatments require removing a patient's T cells, shipping them to specialized facilities for genetic engineering, then returning them weeks later at costs around $500,000 per dose. The new "in vivo" approaches use viral vectors or RNA-loaded nanoparticles to deliver genetic instructions directly to T cells circulating in the bloodstream, which could reduce costs by an order of magnitude. Companies including Capstan Therapeutics, co-founded by Nobel laureates, and AstraZeneca-backed EsoBiotec have launched early human trials. While only about 200 US centers currently offer traditional CAR-T therapy, the approach could make the powerful treatment available on demand like conventional drugs.



[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-01570-6


Re: (Score:2)

by backslashdot ( 95548 )

So, you're going to do this research work free or given that you're pretty talentless .. at least provide the funding for it?

Re: (Score:2)

by whitroth ( 9367 )

After 47 is forgotten, federal funding. Drop the costs by two orders of magnitude.

As a nonviolent antinatalist, (Score:1)

by blue trane ( 110704 )

Is this bad news?

This is what UScCancer funding looks like (Score:4, Informative)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

Or used to look like, when people ask "we spend so much money on cancer" it's on base level research like this usually working with hospitals and universities, the CAR-T therapy this expands upon has been funded by NIH and NCI, this is the research that enables pharma companies to develop and trial actual treatments.

Now if you want to say if we fund all this we should own more and have better access to it I would agree but fact is the US leads on a lot of this because we fund it and that leads to a lot of economic growth for everyone and American's do tend to have access before most other people do (just at an extremely high cost sometimes but that is a related but different problem)

[1]Federal grant helps fund CAR T-cell therapy trial for B-cell malignancies [osu.edu]

[2]NIH researchers develop approach that could help supercharge T-cell therapies against solid tumors [mskcc.org]

[3]Memorial Sloan Kettering Awarded Prestigious NCI Grant to Further Advance CAR T Cell Treatments for Solid Tumors [nih.gov]

[4]Marker Therapeutics to receive non-dilutive funding from NIH Small Business Innovation Research Program based on preliminary clinical results and non-clinical data in lymphoma [markertherapeutics.com]

[1] https://cancer.osu.edu/news/car-t-cell-therapy

[2] https://www.mskcc.org/news-releases/msk-awarded-prestigious-nci-grant-to-further-advance-car-cell-treatments-for-solid-tumors

[3] https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-researchers-develop-approach-could-help-supercharge-t-cell-therapies-against-solid-tumors

[4] https://ir.markertherapeutics.com/news-releases/news-release-details/marker-therapeutics-awarded-2-million-grant-nih-support-phase-1

Re: (Score:1)

by ArchieBunker ( 132337 )

Thoughts and prayers.

Re:This is what UScCancer funding looks like (Score:4, Funny)

by jacks smirking reven ( 909048 )

Have I got the thing for you my friend; [1]Christian Science [wikipedia.org]

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Science

Re: (Score:2)

by NoWayNoShapeNoForm ( 7060585 )

> Have I got the thing for you my friend; [1]Christian Science [wikipedia.org]

Now that's a definite +1 ... if I had Mod points

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Science

I can envision a day... (Score:2)

by zurkeyon ( 1546501 )

When an AI physician, and CRISPR, could live-correct DNA damage from cancer with just an outpatient visit. An actual cure...Never to return in your lifetime. Its possible. Of all the bad it could bring, true AGI/ASI, could also bring us miracles beyond our hopes and dreams. May Roddenberry's dream someday be realized, and may money and greed, fade to absolute abundance and prosperity. Responsible Technology, is the way forward to that Future. (In my opinion)

Re: (Score:3)

by Big Bipper ( 1120937 )

Not going to happen. Big Pharma wants you coming back again and again until they've bled you dry. Or else the one shot treatment will require you to take out a 30 year mortgage just to pay for it.

Re: (Score:2)

by backslashdot ( 95548 )

It will happen. But it will most likely take more than 25 years. The reason I believe it will happen is that to generate an RNA nanoparticle treatment is pretty straightforward, as in if you were crazy and willing to accept the high risk you can buy the equipment to DIY it on eBay (obviously the consequences for fucking up are .. bad).

RNA synthesizer -- these range from about $10K (Kilobaser) to $100K.

Nanoparticle manufacturing device -- About $10K to $100K depending on scale required. Yes you can save mone

Re: (Score:2)

by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

You don't need all that stuff. You can just send your desired sequence to be printed.

Most of the work, and expense, is figuring out what you want to do and finding a vehicle that will reliably do it, and nothing else. That's why CAR-T currently works with ex vivo cells: you can sort them out and just put back the ones you want. But it's expensive because everything is a one off custom job.

Cost (Score:2)

by Hoi Polloi ( 522990 )

If I can't afford the treatment then it might as well not exist.

He hated being thought of as one of those people that wore stupid
ornamental armour. It was gilt by association.
-- Terry Pratchett, "Night Watch"