Research from Switzerland revealed that immune cells inefficacy for cancer treatment in ageing patients can be reverted. 

T-cells are cells from the immune system and Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy that involves engineering a patient’s own T cells to target and destroy cancer cells. While this therapy has shown promise, its efficacy in older patients has been inconsistent.  

This study from the University of Lausanne reveals that restoring levels of NAD, a molecule essential for cellular energy and repair, can revive these cells’ antitumor abilities to reverse the ageing effect. 

Researchers compared CAR-T cells, derived from young and aged mice, and found that CAR-T cells from older mice exhibited decreased cellular function and reduced ability to self-renew, which led to reduced antitumor activity. A decline in NAD levels happened simultaneously.  

“CAR-T cells from older individuals are metabolically impaired and significantly less effective,” said first author Helen Carrasco Hope from the University of Lausanne. “What’s exciting is that we were able to rejuvenate these aged cells by restoring their NAD levels—reviving their antitumor function in pre-clinical models (mice).” 

Future research will focus on translating these findings into clinical human trials, potentially

leading to more effective immunotherapies for the ageing population. 

This study is published in Nature Cancer.