Novel strategies to manage CAR-T cell toxicity

Abstract

The immune-related adverse events associated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapy result in substantial morbidity as well as considerable cost to the health-care system, and can limit the use of these treatments. Current therapeutic strategies to manage immune-related adverse events include interleukin-6 receptor (IL-6R) blockade and corticosteroids. However, because these interventions do not always address the side effects, nor prevent progression to higher grades of adverse events, new approaches are needed. A deeper understanding of the cell types involved, and their associated signalling pathways, cellular metabolism and differentiation states, should provide the basis for alternative strategies. To preserve treatment efficacy, cytokine-mediated toxicity needs to be uncoupled from CAR-T cell function, expansion, long-term persistence and memory formation. This may be achieved by targeting CAR or independent cytokine signalling axes transiently, and through novel T cell engineering strategies, such as low-affinity CAR-T cells, reversible on–off switches and versatile adaptor systems. We summarize the current management of cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome, and review T cell- and myeloid cell-intrinsic druggable targets and cellular engineering strategies to develop safer CAR-T cells. Treatment with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell therapies is associated with important immune-related adverse events. In this Review, the authors discuss the standard-of-care management for cytokine release and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndromes, and the potential of other T cell druggable targets as well as cellular engineering strategies to develop safer CAR-T cells.