Abstract

Accelerating CAR T-cell Immunotherapy Research with Assistance of Nano-biosensors

Trang Anh Nguyen Le, PhD Candidate, Helmholzt Center Dresden Rossendorf

Nanomaterial-based biosensors present superior properties, which have transformed the field of life science, especially in early cancer diagnosis. However, the potential of nano-biosensors should not be limited to detection platforms but can be expanded toward screening and monitoring during disease treatment. Here, we demonstrate the use of silicon nanowire field-effect transistor (SiNW FET) to pre-select the best peptide epitope for an improved CAR T-cell therapy termed “Universal” CAR (UniCAR) platform for cancer treatment. Seven peptides were immobilized on the sensors and investigated against titration of target receptor which express on UniCAR T-cells. The results show that the peptide candidate suggested by our sensors have a better cancer-killing effect than others. Moreover, our nanosensors not only outperform traditional assay in terms of detection limit (five orders of magnitude lower) but are also extremely analyte-saving (10 times less). In addition, the sensor’s performance remains unchanged in PBS and blood serum. This opens a way for using the sensor not only in the research phase but also during treatment.