Combination of recombinant IL-7 with Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T Cells Targeting Glypican-3 (GPC3) for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of liver cancer. standard treatment for HCC is not suitable for a large proportion of liver cancer patients. As a result, alternative treatments are needed. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a promising alternative approach selectively targets targeting tumors via tumor-specific antigens. However, to date, no effective CAR T cell therapy exists for HCC. 

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a cell surface proteoglycan preferentially expressed in HCC. National Cancer Institute (NCI) researchers previously demonstrated that GPC3-targeting CAR T cell therapy was a promising therapeutic in preclinical animal models of HCC. Furthermore, it was reported that IL7 improved T cell or CAR T cell efficacy via enhancing CAR T cell persistence and survival. 

Researchers in the NCI’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB) found that a single treatment of a recombinant IL-7 significantly improved the efficacy of GPC3-targeted CAR T cell therapy for over 4 weeks in mice bearing human HCC tumors. The superior efficacy indicated that combination of recombinant IL-7 treatments with GPC3-targeting CAR T cells may improve the efficacy of treating HCC in patients.