Generation Of Functional CAR T Cells From CD4+ And CD8+ T Cells

T cells are central effectors of the immune system and play a pivotal role in the fight against cancer. Recently, T cells have been redirected against tumor cells by genetic engineering. Equipped with a transgenic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that recognizes a specific tumor antigen, CAR T cells are a promising new tool for a precise and efficient cancer therapy. However, optimal parameters for the generation, cultivation, and analysis of CAR T cells are still to be defined in order to translate the most efficient approaches into immunotherapy. Automation and easy translation from basic research into a clinical setting are particularly important challenges to address.

Here we demonstrate that human CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells isolated with MACS^® Technology are efficiently used to generate functional CAR T cells. MACS Technology enables fully automated cell separation with the autoMACS^® Pro Separator, as well as straightforward translation into clinical settings thanks to MACS GMP Products and the CliniMACS Prodigy^®.