Science Highlights
Published on August 17, 2026
Persistence of Intracranially Delivered CAR-T Cells in a Murine GBM Model
by Immunotherapy
Murakami K, Kijima N, Hosen N, et al. Intracranially Injected Chimeric Antigen Receptor T Cells Eradicate Glioblastoma Cells But Have Limited Potential to Persist in the Brain in a Syngeneic Mouse Model. Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy. 2026; (doi: 10.1007/s00262-026-04475-z).
Injection of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells into the brain effectively treats glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a particularly aggressive type of brain tumor, but researchers say the effect is not durable. They used a syngeneic murine model of GBM to investigate how long intracranially injected CAR-T cells persist in the brain. Some mice received murine GBM cells expressing human B7-H3, while others received control T cells. The CAR-T cells were detected in the brain 1 week after treatment but disappeared after 2 weeks. While the data suggest that intracranial injection of CAR-T cells could be curative, the study authors caution that unless strategies to enhance persistence of CAR-T cells in the brain are developed, patients most likely will have to undergo repeat treatments.
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