Engineered immune cells take aim at Mesothelioma—Can they deliver?

This early-stage trial is testing whether a new type of CAR-T cell therapy is safe for people with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rare and aggressive cancer of the lung lining. The CAR-T cells are engineered to target a protein called mesothelin on cancer cells and include a built-in checkpoint inhibitor to boost their activity. Participants receive a single dose of these cells directly into the chest cavity, after a low dose of chemotherapy to prepare the immune system. The goal is to find the safest dose and observe any effects on the tumor.