Efficacy of treatment on brain glioma by Zonghai Li and Yongming Qiu’s research team reaches the world's leading levels
Recently, good news came again from the joint research team of Zonghai Li, principle investigator of Shanghai Cancer Institute, and Yongming Qiu, chief physician of department of neurosurgery, both in our hospital. The efficacy of CAR-T cells infusion therapy on the second case of malignant brain glioma patient is also very significant. Currently the tumor has shrunk more than 50% to reach the standard of "clinical remission".
According to Zonghai Li, head of research, development and design of the project, CAR-T cells therapy of solid tumors is currently one of the development trends of anti-cancer therapy in the world. Currently translational research of CAR-T cells in the field of solid tumors is still in its infancy. A total of nearly 20 clinical treatment studies are underway throughout the world, including only four in our country, of which two are in our hospital. Currently, very few cases of CAR-T studies on solid tumors can reach the efficacy of "clinical remission" around the world. Their results mark the achievements of our hospital through this therapy reaching the world's leading levels.
It’s reported that CAR -T cells are expected to overcome the immune escape mechanism of tumor cells to become precision-guided, precision-targeted immune cell weapons against cancer. One of the key points in the success of CAR-T cell therapy is whether it could specifically recognize tumors without killing normal tissues, the so-called to distinguish the enemy, to realize precision therapy. The key to achieve this precision medicine is a core component of CAR-T - the antibody. After more than ten years of efforts, Zonghai Li led his team to find an important therapeutic target to accurately identify tumors (including glioma, breast cancer, lung cancer, head and neck tumors, etc.) - epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody, thereby guiding T lymphocytes to selectivity recognize tumor cells and secret perforin as well as granzyme to destroy the tumor. This time, the patient was treated with CAR-EGFR T cells, which were jointly developed by the Shanghai Cancer Institute and Keji Biomedical (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. The CAR-EGFR T cells could selectively target EGFR on tumor cells, without damaging EGFR on normal cells, therefore is a very accurate targeted immune cell therapy.
In August, one outpatient as young as 24 years old, suffering from four grade glioma (the most malignant glioma), asked Dr. Yongming Qiu, chief physician of department of neurosurgery of Renji Hospital, to save his life. It turned out that the patient had been outside the hospital for treatment in March this year due to intermittent headache and diagnosed as right side occipital placeholder through MRI examination. Then he received operation and his pathological findings suggested pleomorphic glioma. Although the patients had received four cycles of chemotherapy, but the effects weren’t good and the tumor relapsed. He went to so much trouble to learn that department of neurosurgery of our hospital had successfully carried out the world's first case of CAR-EGFR T cells infusion therapy of glioma, and then came to our hospital for treatment. After completion of examinations, Dr. Yongming Qiu and principle investigator Zonghai Li implemented CAR-EGFR T cell infusion therapy for the patient in August this year. The patient got complete remission of headache and other symptoms post infusion. So far his lesion remains narrow state, which reaches clinical remission after repeated follow-ups.
The successful implementation of this project shows that CAR-EGFR T cells is expected to become the future of new therapies in patients with glioma, but also reflects research achievements of our hospital in this field among the world's leading ranks. (Translator Weiwei Zhang)