New cancer drug shows promise, made brain tumour almost disappear in 5 days

A new CAR-T cell therapy showed encouraging results in treating glioblastoma, a highly aggressive form of brain cancer.

Researchers from the Mass General Cancer Center, US, reported significant tumour reductions in the first three patients treated in a phase 1 clinical trial called INCIPIENT, which took place in 2024.

The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, evaluated a drug called CARv3-TEAM-E T cell therapy designed for patients with recurrent glioblastoma.

Just days after a single infusion, patients experienced notable tumour shrinkage, including one case of near-complete tumour regression.

CAR-T therapy, which uses a patient’s own modified immune cells to fight cancer, has been successful in blood cancers but faces challenges in solid tumours like glioblastoma.

This new combined approach offers a promising direction to overcome those hurdles.

This approach combines CAR-T therapy with bispecific antibodies called T-cell engaging antibody molecules (TEAMs).

It aims to address the challenge of tumour heterogeneity by targeting different cancer cell populations within glioblastoma. The therapy is directly injected into the brain to maximise its effect.

The



trial involved three patients aged between 57 and 74, all of whom had previously undergone standard treatments including radiation and chemotherapy.

One patient showed a rapid but temporary tumour regression, another had a sustained reduction of over 60 per cent lasting more than six months, and the third exhibited near-complete tumour shrinkage within 5 days.

Patients tolerated the treatment well, with expected side effects such as fever and altered mental status shortly after infusion.

All were monitored in hospital before being discharged. Despite initial positive responses, tumour progression eventually occurred in all cases, partly due to the limited persistence of the CAR-TEAM cells.

TAKING THE RESEARCH AHEAD

The research team is now exploring strategies to extend the durability of the therapy’s effects, including multiple infusions or preconditioning with chemotherapy.

The study reflects a collaborative effort led by experts at Massachusetts General Hospital to translate laboratory discoveries into clinical treatments.

While this therapy has not yet cured patients, the researchers emphasise that these early results mark important progress and hope to improve outcomes for those with this difficult-to-treat brain cancer.