Advanced colorectal cancer currently has a poor prognosis and is the deadliest form of cancer for Australians 25 to 34 years old.
LGR5 is a cancer stem cell marker that is highly expressed on advanced colorectal cancer and other cancers. In colon cancer patients, LGR5+ expression has been correlated with a particularly poor prognosis.
Cancer stem cells are a small sub-population of cells within a tumour with the ability to:
- self-renew
- differentiate into the many cell types of a tumour
- initiate new tumours
- resist chemotherapy and radiotherapy leading to relapses
By targeting a cancer stem cell, it is hoped that this therapy will reduce the tumour’s ability to generate new cells, resulting in durable tumour suppression and preventing relapses which are very common in patients with colorectal cancer.
Carina’s pre-clinical studies of the LGR5-targeted CAR-T cell have shown highly promising results with complete tumour regression and no tumour recurrence. They have also demonstrated impressive tumour access and prolonged CAR-T cell survival.