Marcela V. Maus, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator ’17-’18) at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, published results from her clinical trial with glioblastoma patients showing for the first time that CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T cells cross the blood-brain barrier to reach tumors and appeared to be safe. These CAR T cells were targeted to EGFR variant III in glioblastoma patients. Her lab is working on next steps such as combining CAR T cells with other drugs to increase the potency of this treatment to shrink tumor size. The results of this trial indicate that CAR T cell therapy is a viable option for treating glioblastoma. The study was published in Science Translational Medicine.
