Los Angeles, USA, August 29, 2025
A significant breakthrough in kidney cancer treatment was announced today as a new off-the-shelf immunotherapy has been developed to attack metastatic kidney cancer. Researchers at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have created a novel cell therapy that uses specially engineered immune cells to fight tumors without the need for a personalized approach for each patient. This “off-the-shelf” strategy, known as AlloCAR70-NKT, promises to improve outcomes and expand access for patients with advanced disease.
Key Highlights
* A Universal Approach: Unlike traditional CAR T-cell therapies that require a patient’s own cells, this new treatment uses cells derived from stem cells, creating a universal, ready-to-use therapy for any patient.
* A Two-Pronged Attack: The AlloCAR70-NKT cells are engineered to target a protein on kidney cancer cells called CD70. They attack tumors directly and also reprogram the tumor’s protective microenvironment, making it more vulnerable to the immune system.
* Addressing Treatment Challenges: This innovative approach is designed to overcome common limitations of current immunotherapies for solid tumors, such as a lack of durability, poor penetration into tumors, and suppression of the immune response.
This innovative cell therapy, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, addresses a critical challenge in cancer immunotherapy. Traditional CAR T-cell therapies, which have been highly successful for blood cancers, have shown limited effectiveness against solid tumors like kidney cancer. They are also costly and time-consuming to produce, as they require genetically engineering a patient’s own cells. The UCLA team’s solution involves engineering natural killer T (NKT) cells from stem cells to express a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) that targets CD70, a protein frequently found on kidney cancer cells.
In preclinical models, the AlloCAR70-NKT cells demonstrated a powerful, multifaceted attack. They not only directly destroyed cancer cells but also actively dismantled the tumor’s defenses. This dual function is crucial for treating metastatic kidney cancer, where tumors are known to create a protective environment that shields them from immune attack. This multi-pronged strategy makes the new therapy a potent and potentially safer option for patients with limited treatment alternatives.
While the research is still in its early stages and requires further studies and human trials, the findings suggest that AlloCAR70-NKT could pave the way for a new generation of universal, ready-to-use cancer therapies. The development offers new hope for those battling advanced kidney cancer and could significantly impact the future of cancer treatment.
