Antibody strategy to augment versatile immune cells sparks investment in French biotech
A small fraction of versatile immune cells — prized for their ability to hack the tumor microenvironment — are shaping up to be the next wave of immunotherapies. These gamma delta T cells, in contrast to their popular alpha beta counterparts harnessed by CAR-T therapies, do not rely on specific antigens but kill when presented with generic expressions of infection or disease.
Most players in the field are working on ways to improve existing cell therapies, by shoring up efficacy, limiting toxicity, making the technology more accessible with “off-the-shelf” approaches versus the existing complex autologous model, and expanding it to other cancer types beyond hematological malignancies by enlisting lymphocytes such as gamma delta T cells. These efforts are not trying to reinvent the CAR-T wheel, but indeed smoothen it so it moves faster, better and stronger for a broader group of cancer patients.
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