CAR-T Immunotherapy Research

As revolutionary immuno-oncology changes to cancer treatment, cell therapies have attracted widespread attention with their high clinical remission rate in hematological cancers. Since 2018, cell therapies have accounted for more remissions than cancer vaccines, with chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) therapies leading the global cell therapy development race. With rapid development in the past ten years, CAR-T immunotherapy has become a hot area in which commercial organizations compete fiercely and universities ans industry collaborate intensively.¹

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy represents a major advancement in personalized cancer treatment. In this strategy, a patient's own T cells are genetically engineered to express a synthetic receptor that binds a tumor antigen. CAR-T cells are then expanded for clinical use and infused back into the patient's body to attack and destroy chemotherapy-resistant cancer.² CAR-T cell therapy leverages the power of the patient's own immune system by serving as a bridge to connect genetically modified T cells to the surface antigens of tumor cells based on targeted ligands. Clinical trials have demonstrated compelling overall response and survival rates in individuals with B-cell malignancies.³

New Developments in CAR-T Immunotherapy: in Vivo CAR-T Cell Generation

Recently, new in vivo CAR-T approaches, are described. CAR-encoding constructs are delivered systemically using viral or non-viral vectors, with the aim of reprogramming endogenous T cells directly in the body into functional CAR-T effector cells. This concept has gained attention because it could address some of the main limitations of conventional CAR-T therapy, including individualized manufacturing, long production times, and limited accessibility. In their 2026 publications, Wang et al. and Gao et al. describe in vivo CAR-T generation as a developing strategy that uses platforms such as lentiviral vectors, virus-like particles, adeno-associated vectors, and lipid nanoparticles to deliver CAR constructs directly to T cells.^4,5 A first clinical proof of concept was reported by Aalipour et al. in Nature Medicine in 2026.⁶ In that phase 1 study, an anti-BCMA CAR was generated in vivo after intravenous delivery of a lentiviral vector in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma. The main conclusion was that direct in vivo generation of functional CAR-T cells in humans is feasible and can induce deep anti-tumor responses, supporting this approach as a potential alternative to conventional manufacturing.⁴

The potential advantages of in vivo CAR-T are mainly practical and translational. By removing leukapheresis, ex vivo cell engineering, and centralized manufacturing, this strategy could shorten vein-to-treatment time and reduce logistical complexity. Greco et al., writing in Nature Medicine in 2026, describe in vivo CAR-T engineering as an approach intended to make CAR-based therapies more scalable and broadly accessible.⁷ At the same time, both Wang et al. and Gao et al. note that major challenges remain, particularly selective delivery to T cells, avoidance of off-target transduction, control over CAR expression, vector-related safety, and the need to reproduce efficacy and durability in larger patient cohorts. Overall, in vivo CAR-T cell generation is best viewed as a next-generation extension of current CAR-T technology rather than a replacement at this stage. Early publications suggest that functional CAR-T cells can be generated directly in patients, but larger studies will be needed to determine how this strategy compares with established ex vivo CAR-T therapies in terms of safety, response durability, and clinical applicability.

CAR-T Immunotherapy: The most popular CAR-T Targets

According to data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the number of CAR-T related patents filed showed a sharp increase during the last decade. In this context, the USA and China are leading the way with the largest increase in patent documents, followed by the European countries. A look at the most common targets in CAR-T patent documents reveals an interesting and clearly structured picture. CD19 is by far the most worked target, followed by BCMA, CD20, Mesothelin, PD-1/PD-L1.

Below you will find our top products related to the most relevant research targets. Click on the respective link to see all product data, references, images and validation data.

CD19

BCMA(TNFRSF17)

CD20(MS4A1)

Mesothelin

PD-1/PD-L1

HER-2

CD22

EGFR

MUC1

HLA (CD74)

EGFRvIII

CD33

CD123

CD30(TNFRSF8)

ROR1

GPC3

CEA

PSMA

CD38

GD2

References

Julian Pampel, BSc

Content Manager at antibodies-online.com

Creative mind of antibodies-online with a keen eye for details. Proficient in the field of life-science with a passion for plant biotechnology and clinical study design. Responsible for illustrated and written content at antibodies-online as well as supervision of the antibodies-online scholarship program.

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