Dr. Brentjens on Challenges of CAR-Modified T Cells

Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD, associate professor, chief, Cellular Therapeutics Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the challenges associated with CAR-modified T cells.

Getting CAR-modified T cells into the clinic was the first challenge, Brentjens says, but that is less of an obstacle now.

Now, physicians and researchers must cope with the side effects of CAR-modified T cells as well as how to address diseases where they do not work. A third challenges exists in expanding this therapy to other types of cancers. Brentjens believes investigators will focus on identifying target proteins or carbohydrates on the tumor cell surface for different tumor types. This will allow for the exploration of CAR-modified T cells in solid tumors and other types of hematologic malignancies.