Inherited gene variants may shape CAR-T therapy benefits and toxic side effects

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy, which reprograms an individual's immune cells to seek out and destroy certain cancer cells, has revolutionized treatment for blood cancers such as lymphoma.

But in some patients, the treatment can cause serious side effects.

New research led by investigators at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has shown that patients' inherited genetic makeup can influence whether they benefit from CAR-T cell therapy or experience toxicity from the treatment.

The results are published in Science Immunology. ...