Breaking new ground - How CAR technology can change the landscape of cancer theranostics

Adoptive therapy using CAR-T cells as "living drugs" is an emerging field in cancer immunotherapy. Our group particularly focusses on the development and clinical translation of novel adaptor CAR-T platforms (UniCAR & RevCAR), in which CAR T-cell activity is controlled by tumor-specific adaptor molecules. Apart from their immunotherapeutic potential demonstrated by numerous preclinical and an initial clinical proof-of-concept study, our adaptor CAR technologies represent also an ideal starting point for the development of cancer theranostics. Preclinical studies have shown that adaptor molecules can be easily radiolabeled for tumor therapy and diagnostics. Conversely, clinically used PET tracers have been successfully converted into highly efficient adaptor molecules for CAR T-cell immunotherapy. Overall, adaptor molecules are versatile tools for (i) CAR-T cell therapy, (ii) noninvasive diagnostic imaging, and (iii) targeted radioimmunotherapy, underscoring that combinatorial theranostic adaptor CAR-T approaches may open new avenues for effective cancer therapy.