Cell-preservation technique could make CAR-T cell therapy more accessible

A new technique developed by researchers at MIT could make the production of CAR-T cells, a type of immune cell used to treat blood cancer, more accessible. Currently, only about 5% of hospitals in the United States have the capability to generate and deliver CAR-T cells to patients, often requiring them to be frozen and shipped long distances.

This process involves treating cells with a chemical preservative called dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to prevent damage from ice crystals during storage and shipment, but this treatment requires special expertise and is often not available in all medical facilities. The MIT team aimed to reduce or eliminate the use of DMSO, which could make CAR-T cell therapy more widely available.

To achieve this, they preserved the cells using a nontoxic antifreeze sugar called trehalose and another sugar called sucrose. These sugars help protect the cells' proteins from denaturation and prevent ice crystal formation, similar to how Arctic organisms survive extreme cold. The researchers used a technique called electroporation to introduce the sugar molecules into the cells, creating temporary holes in the cell membrane to allow the sugars to pass through.

While they still needed to add a small amount of DMSO, they found that this amount was not significant enough to require removal later. The preserved cells had higher survival rates and were successfully used to treat lymphoma and glioblastoma in mice. These findings suggest that the new preservation method could improve the accessibility of CAR-T cell therapy for more patients.