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Del Baldo G, Del Bufalo F, Pinacchio C, Carai A, Quintarelli C, De Angelis B, Merli P, Cacchione A, Locatelli F, Mastronuzzi A. The peculiar challenge of bringing CAR-T cells into the brain: Perspectives in the clinical application to the treatment of pediatric central nervous system tumors. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1142597. [PMID: 37025994 PMCID: PMC10072260 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1142597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Childhood malignant brain tumors remain a significant cause of death in the pediatric population, despite the use of aggressive multimodal treatments. New therapeutic approaches are urgently needed for these patients in order to improve prognosis, while reducing side effects and long-term sequelae of the treatment. Immunotherapy is an attractive option and, in particular, the use of gene-modified T cells expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T cells) represents a promising approach. Major hurdles in the clinical application of this approach in neuro-oncology, however, exist. The peculiar location of brain tumors leads to both a difficulty of access to the tumor mass, shielded by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), and to an increased risk of potentially life-threatening neurotoxicity, due to the primary location of the disease in the CNS and the low intracranial volume reserve. There are no unequivocal data on the best way of CAR-T cell administration. Multiple trials exploring the use of CD19 CAR-T cells for hematologic malignancies proved that genetically engineered T cells can cross the BBB, suggesting that systemically administered CAR-T cell can be used in the neuro-oncology setting. Intrathecal and intra-tumoral delivery can be easily managed with local implantable devices, suitable also for a more precise neuro-monitoring. The identification of specific approaches of neuro-monitoring is of utmost importance in these patients. In the present review, we highlight the most relevant potential challenges associated with the application of CAR-T cell therapy in pediatric brain cancers, focusing on the evaluation of the best route of delivery, the peculiar risk of neurotoxicity and the related neuro-monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giada Del Baldo
- Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology, and Cell and Gene Therapy Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Scientific Institute for Reasearch, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
- Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Del Bufalo
- Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology, and Cell and Gene Therapy Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Scientific Institute for Reasearch, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Pinacchio
- Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology, and Cell and Gene Therapy Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Scientific Institute for Reasearch, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Carai
- Department of Neurosciences, Neurosurgery Unit, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Scientific Institute for Reasearch, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Concetta Quintarelli
- Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology, and Cell and Gene Therapy Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Scientific Institute for Reasearch, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Biagio De Angelis
- Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology, and Cell and Gene Therapy Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Scientific Institute for Reasearch, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Pietro Merli
- Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology, and Cell and Gene Therapy Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Scientific Institute for Reasearch, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Antonella Cacchione
- Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology, and Cell and Gene Therapy Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Scientific Institute for Reasearch, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
| | - Franco Locatelli
- Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology, and Cell and Gene Therapy Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Scientific Institute for Reasearch, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences and Public Health, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy
| | - Angela Mastronuzzi
- Department of Pediatric Haematology and Oncology, and Cell and Gene Therapy Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, Scientific Institute for Reasearch, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), Rome, Italy
- *Correspondence: Angela Mastronuzzi,
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Zhang F, Jia XL, Zuo YX, Lu AD, Zhang PF, Xue L, Zhang LP. Continuous blood purification successfully treated severe cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome after chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy: A case report. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2022; 69:e29563. [PMID: 35044056 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.29563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Feng Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Xin-Lei Jia
- Department of Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Ying-Xi Zuo
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Ai-Dong Lu
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Peng-Fei Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics Intensive Care Unit, Beijing Children's Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Lian Xue
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Le-Ping Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, China
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Advances in Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-Cell Therapies for the Treatment of Primary Brain Tumors. Antibodies (Basel) 2022; 11:antib11020031. [PMID: 35645204 PMCID: PMC9149956 DOI: 10.3390/antib11020031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has revolutionized the care of cancer patients. A diverse set of strategies to overcome cancer immunosuppression and enhance the tumor-directed immune response are in clinical use, but have not achieved transformative benefits for brain tumor patients. Adoptive cell therapies, which employ a patient’s own immune cells to generate directed anti-tumor activity, are emerging technologies that hold promise to improve the treatment of primary brain tumors in children and adults. Here, we review recent advances in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies for the treatment of aggressive primary brain tumors, including glioblastoma and diffuse midline glioma, H3 K27M-mutant. We highlight current approaches, discuss encouraging investigational data, and describe key challenges in the development and implementation of these types of therapies in the neuro-oncology setting.
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