AI Summary
Dr. Karl Petri aims to use advanced CRISPR technology to enhance the efficiency of CAR-T cell therapies for cancer treatment. His project, called Prime-CAR Inspection, focuses on using CRISPR Prime Editing, a more precise method of gene editing, to improve the production and effectiveness of CAR-T cells. The aim is to address challenges like limited effectiveness against solid tumors and the temporary nature of CAR-T-induced remissions. The research is funded by the German Research Foundation and could lead to significant advancements in cancer immunotherapy.
CAR-T cells are highly effective in treating selected blood cancers. However, challenges remain with this new therapy, which was first approved in 2017 in the USA and a year later in Europe for treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). For instance, no effective CAR-T cell therapies for solid tumors exist. Furthermore, CAR-T-induced remissions are not always durable, and the production of CAR-T cells is slow and laborious.
Dr. Karl Petri of the University Hospital Würzburg (UKW) / Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg aims to address these issues using an advanced CRISPR method to increase the efficiency of cancer-directed immunotherapies. The German Research Foundation (DFG) supports his research project with nearly two million euros over the next six years under the Emmy Noether Program.
Prime-CAR Inspection project in the Emmy Noether Program of the DFG
His project is called Prime-CAR Inspection. “Prime” stands for the CRISPR 2.0 method CRISPR Prime Editing, which allows for targeted and programmable incorporation of DNA changes into therapeutic T cells; “CAR” stands for chimeric antigen receptor, which equips the patient’s own T cells to recognize and target specific surface molecules of cancer cells; “Inspection” refers to the safety validation of new gene-editing methods using advanced molecular diagnostics.
While the conventional CRISPR-Cas9 method introduces a double-strand break into the DNA molecule, the CRISPR Prime Editing method requires only a single-strand break, allowing for more precise genome modifications.”
Dr. Karl Petri of the University Hospital Würzburg (UKW) / Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg
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