Developing CAR-T/NK cells that target EphA2 for non-small cell lung cancer treatment

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret

Developing CAR-T/NK cell immunotherapy targeting EphA2 aims to address limited treatment options for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The study engineers an EphA2-specific antibody and establishes EphA2 CAR-T and CAR-NK immune cells, then compares their cytotoxicity, cytokine secretion, and solid tumor growth inhibition against normal T/NK controls. Results show superior killing, stronger cytokine release, and significant suppression of solid tumor growth, with improved tumor infiltration in lung cancer models. CAR-NK efficacy is also confirmed, supporting robust candidate potential for immune cell therapy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methods

Results

Discussion

TYPE Original Research PUBLISHED 13 March 2025 DOI 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1448438 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Francisco Martin, University of Granada, Spain REVIEWED BY Zhenyu Dai, Stanford University, United States Amer Najjar, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, United States *CORRESPONDENCE Hyo-Young Chung [hchung@kbiohealth.kr](hchung@kbiohealth.kr)[ ](hchung@kbiohealth.kr)Tae-Don Kim [tdkim@kribb. re.kr](tdkim@kribb. re.kr) †These authors have contributed equally to this work RECEIVED 13 June 2024 ACCEPTED 24 February 2025 PUBLISHED 13 March 2025 CITATION Kim SM, Lee SY, Kim SI, Bae JY, Hong JT, Jo S, Kim JH, Chung H-Y and Kim T-D (2025) Developing CAR-T/NK cells that target EphA2 for non-small cell lung cancer treatment. Front. Immunol. 16:1448438 . doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1448438 COPYRIGHT © 2025 Kim, Lee, Kim, Bae, Hong, Jo, Kim, Chung and Kim. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Developing CAR-T/NK cells that target EphA2 for non-small cell lung cancer treatment Seok Min Kim 1†, Soo Yun Lee 1†, Seo In Kim 2,3†, Ji Yeong Bae 2,3, Jin Tae Hong 3, Seona Jo 1,4, Ji Hyun Kim 1,4, Hyo-Young Chung 2* and Tae-Don Kim 1,4* 1Center for Gene & Cell Therapy, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB), Daejeon, Republic of Korea, 2 New Drug Development Center, Osong Medical Innovation Foundation, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea, 3College of Pharmacy and Medical Research Center, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea, 4 Department of Functional Genomics, KRIBB School of Bioscience, Korea University of Science and Technology (UST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea Introduction: Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) immunotherapy has revolutionized anticancer therapy, as it accurately targets cancer cells by recognizing speciﬁc antigens expressed in cancer cells. This innovative therapeutic strategy has attracted considerable attention. However, few therapeutics are available for treating nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which accounts for most lung cancer cases and isone of the deadliest cancers with low survival rates. Methods: In this study, we developed a new antibody targeting erythropoietinproducing hepatocellular carcinoma A2 (EphA2), which is highly expressed in NSCLC, and established CAR-T/ natural killer (NK) immune cells to verify its potential for immune cell therapy. The killing capacity, cytokine secretion and solid tumor growth inhibition of EphA2 CAR-T/NK cells were compared to normal T/NK cells. Results: EphA2 CAR-T cells demonstrated superior killing capacity, enhanced cytokine secretion, and signiﬁcant solid tumor growth inhibition. Additionally, they exhibited improved tumor inﬁltration in lung cancer models compared to normal T cells. The anticancer efﬁcacy of the developed EphA2 CAR-NK cells was also conﬁrmed, showcasing their potential as robust candidates for immune cell therapy. Discussion: The ﬁndings of this study highlight the potential of CAR-T/NK cell therapy targeting EphA2 as an effective treatment for lung cancer, particularly NSCLC with high EphA2 expression . By leveraging the speciﬁc targeting capabilities of CAR-T cells and the unique properties of CAR-NK cells, this approach provides a promising therapeutic strategy to address the unmet needs in NSCLC treatment. KEYWORDS cell therapy, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), CAR-T cell, CAR-NK cell, erythropoietinproducing hepatocellular carcinoma A2 (EphA2), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) Frontiers in Immunology 01 [frontie

FAQs

What is the main therapeutic target for the CAR-T/NK cells in this study?

The study targets EphA2, which is highly expressed in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

How were EphA2 CAR-T/NK cells evaluated in comparison with normal T/NK cells?

They were compared for killing capacity, cytokine secretion, and solid tumor growth inhibition in relevant models.

What key outcomes support the potential of EphA2 CAR-T and CAR-NK therapy?

EphA2 CAR-T cells showed superior cytotoxicity, enhanced cytokine secretion, and significant inhibition of solid tumor growth, with improved tumor infiltration; EphA2 CAR-NK anticancer efficacy was also confirmed.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Margaret