New CAR T Therapy Targets Tumors and Their Supportive Ecosystem

Engineered cells attack cancer cells and surrounding cells that enable tumor growth.

Mar. 31, 2026 at 5:28am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Researchers have developed a new type of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy that can target both solid tumor cells and the supportive cells in the tumor microenvironment. The approach focuses on the uPAR protein, which is found on the surface of cancer cells as well as the fibroblasts and immune-suppressive cells that create a protective environment for tumors to grow.

Why it matters

Current CAR T therapies have struggled against solid tumors, in part because tumors don't have a single consistent target and the tumor microenvironment blocks T cells. This new uPAR-targeted approach aims to overcome those challenges by attacking multiple cell types that enable tumor growth and progression.

The details

The uPAR-targeted CAR T cells were effective at killing cancer cells across multiple preclinical models, including lung, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers. In mouse models, the engineered cells were able to eliminate metastases and residual disease after surgery. The researchers found that uPAR is highly expressed in many aggressive cancer types, especially those with mutations in p53 and the RAS pathway.

  • The study was published on March 30, 2026 in the journal Cell.
  • The preclinical findings still need to be tested for safety and efficacy in people.

The players

Scott Lowe

Chair of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, the Geoffrey Beene Chair for Cancer Biology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Sloan Kettering Institute, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.

Zeda Zhang

First author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in the Lowe Lab.

Michel Sadelain

Senior author who recently moved his lab from Memorial Sloan Kettering to Columbia University.

Aveline Filliol

Senior scientist in the Lowe Lab and senior author on the study.

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

The institution where the research was conducted.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“This new approach shrank several types of solid tumor in the lab, including lung, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers — and even cleared metastases in some experiments.”

— Scott Lowe, Chair of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program, the Geoffrey Beene Chair for Cancer Biology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's Sloan Kettering Institute, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator

“Our work shows uPAR marks not only malignancy, but also the broader ecosystem that supports cancer — a feature that sets uPAR apart from other cell-surface targets.”

— Zeda Zhang, Postdoctoral researcher in the Lowe Lab

“We're not just targeting uPAR on the surface of tumor cells, but also the uPAR-expressing fibroblasts and myeloid cells in a tumor's supporting 'niche. That is something unique.”

— Michel Sadelain

What’s next

The uPAR-targeted CAR T cells still need to be tested for safety and efficacy in clinical trials involving people with solid tumors.

The takeaway

This new CAR T therapy approach represents a promising strategy to overcome the challenges of treating solid tumors by targeting not just the cancer cells, but also the supportive cells in the tumor microenvironment that enable tumor growth and progression.