Andreas Reichmuth

Andreas Reichmuth and his team are using mRNA technology to temporarily turn T cells into anti-cancer cells. The proposed new treatment holds promises for a wider access to personalized immunotherapies with better safety profiles as compared to existing technologies.

Immunotherapy has become a significant component of cancer treatment. One highly effective method is adoptive cell transfer therapy, where a patient’s T cells are modified with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) to target and destroy cancer cells. This personalized treatment has shown great success in treating hematologic malignancies and has potential for treating solid tumors and various other diseases.

However, the high cost of manufacturing CAR T cells and the complicated treatment procedure requiring specialized centers is preventing access to this life-saving medication. In addition, permanent integration of CAR sequences into the genome results in long-lasting CAR T cells that cannot be easily removed from the body. While this is tolerated for treating B cell malignancies, where collateral damage to healthy B cells is acceptable, it poses significant risks when targeting antigens on solid tumors.

To overcome this problem, Andreas Reichmuth and his team are using mRNA technology to temporarily turn T cells into anti-cancer cells. The team is developing a targeted lipid nanoparticle platform that delivers mRNA exclusively to T cells directly in the patient. Essentially, the patient becomes the manufacturer of his/her own CAR T cell therapy.

Affiliation: Prof. Dr. Gerald Schwank

Start date: 06/2023