CAR Macrophages Tackle Challenges in Solid Cancer Treatment

Following on the success of CAR T cells used to treat cancers of the blood, researchers have launched a Phase 1 clinical trial of genetically modified macrophages to target solid tumors.

Written byAmanda Heidt

| 6 min read

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macrophage, cancer biology, CAR, chimeric antigen receptor, CAR T cells, solid cancer, tumor, liquid cancer, immunotherapy, immunology, disease & medicine, techniques

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ABOVE: An illustration of a macrophage (white) engulfing a cancer cell (red)
© ISTOCK.COM, MARCIN KLAPCZYNSKI

The advent of chimeric antigen receptor T cell technology has revolutionized the treatment of blood, or “liquid,” cancers. But solid tumors have largely resisted this type of immunotherapy. To overcome this obstacle, some researchers have started adding CARs to immune cells other than T cells.

On March 18, Carisma Therapeutics, a company founded by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, announced that it had dosed its first human participant in a landmark Phase 1 clinical study assessing the safety of CAR macrophages. These CARs are modified versions of immune cells that are regularly recruited into tumors and harnessed by cancer cells to evade detection by the body’s immune system. Although macrophages have long been impervious to genetic tinkering, researchers at Carisma discovered a new type of viral vector that allowed them to engineer the ...

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Meet the Author

Amanda Heidt
Amanda first began dabbling in scicom as a master’s student studying marine science at Moss Landing Marine Labs, where she edited the student blog and interned at a local NPR station. She enjoyed that process of demystifying science so much that after receiving her degree in 2019, she went straight into a second master’s program in science communication at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Formerly an intern at The Scientist, Amanda joined the team as a staff reporter and editor in 2021 and oversaw the publication’s internship program, assigned and edited the Foundations, Scientist to Watch, and Short Lit columns, and contributed original reporting across the publication. Amanda’s stories often focus on issues of equity and representation in academia, and she brings this same commitment to DEI to the Science Writers Association of the Rocky Mountains and to the board of the National Association of Science Writers, which she has served on since 2022. She is currently based in the outdoor playground that is Moab, Utah. Read more of her work at www.amandaheidt.com.
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