Genetic Engineering Publications - GEG Tech top picks

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common type of pancreatic cancer and has the lowest survival rate of all common cancers. Only about 7% of people diagnosed with this type of cancer in the UK survive their cancer for 5 years or more. However, a new protein called CEACAM7 has been identified by researchers at Queen Mary University. It could be a new therapeutic target for the treatment of PDAC which is the most common type of pancreatic cancer. In this study, the researchers developed a novel CAR T cell therapy using part of an anti-CEACAM7 antibody from Professor Brad Nelson (British Columbia, Canada). They then modified the killer T cells and presented on their surface this new CAR protein that recognizes and binds to CEACAM7, directing the killer T cells to kill only the cells with CEACAM7. Using this protein as a target, the researchers were able to create a CAR T cell therapy that killed pancreatic cancer cells in a pre-clinical model.