Researchers at the Ribeirao Preto Blood Center and the Center for Cell-Based Therapy (CTC) conducted a study using the NK-92 cell line to test new models of chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) with specific costimulatory domains, such as 2B4 and DAP12. The tests showed that these components helped make the cells “ready to attack,” thereby increasing their ability to destroy tumors. The results were published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.

The CTC is one of the Research, Innovation, and Dissemination Centers (RIDCs) supported by FAPESP. It is based at the Ribeirao Preto Blood Center and is linked to the general and teaching hospital (“Hospital das Clínicas”) of the Ribeirao Preto Medical School of the University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP).

CAR-based cell therapies are revolutionizing cancer treatment, especially for hematological tumors. However, although it is already known which components work best in CAR-T cells, many questions remain about which intracellular signals make CAR-NK cells more effective.