USC biomedical engineers have developed “EchoBack CAR T-cells,” a breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy that can attack tumor cells for five times longer than regular CAR T-cells without tiring. These smart immune cells are activated by focused ultrasound at tumor locations and continue seeking and destroying cancer cells for at least five days, therefore requiring fewer hospital visits for patients. The technology works as an “on switch” triggered by a short 10-minute pulse of ultrasound, after which the cells sense and attack nearby cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue. In lab experiments with mouse models, the EchoBack CAR T-cells significantly outperformed standard CAR T-cells when tested against prostate cancer and glioblastoma cells. This breakthrough technology offers hope for treating solid tumors that traditionally haven’t responded well to immunotherapy and could potentially be adapted for other cancer types like breast cancer and retinoblastoma.
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