Identifying a CAR T-cell therapy target for melanoma
Source: Reg Med Net, March 2024
A transmembrane glycoprotein known as tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1) has been identified as a potential target for a CAR T-cell therapy that treats melanoma.
Immunotherapies have continued to change the cancer treatment landscape by opening new avenues for targeted therapies. While CAR T–cell therapy has shown success in treating hematological cancers, advancements in the development of CAR T–cell therapies for solid tumors have faced challenges due to the scarcity of targets. Only recently was accelerated approval granted by the FDA for a T-cell therapy for advanced melanoma.
In recent developments, a team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (CA, USA) have developed and demonstrated the efficacy and safety profile of a CAR T-cell therapy for cutaneous and rare subtypes of melanoma. This could overcome the unmet medical need for melanoma patients, who are unresponsive or relapse after initial treatment with standard therapies such as immune checkpoint blockade.