CAR-TCR Summit Europe 2021 | PD1-41BB switch receptor expression in the treatment of PD-L1-positve solid tumors

Dolores J. Schendel, PhD, Medigene, Planegg, Germany, describes research into the expression of a chimeric PD1-41BB switch receptor, which combines the co-stimulatory domain of 4-1BB with the extracellular domain of PD-1, on therapeutic T-cell receptor (TCR)-engineered T cells (TCR-Ts) with the aim of enhancing their clinical efficacy in the treatment of PD-L1-positive solid tumors. Preclinical research indicates that the expression of this chimeric switch receptor combats the inhibitory signal induced by the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction on the tumor cell and enhances TCR-T functionality in the tumor microenvironment by reducing T cell exhaustion and improving the metabolic fitness of T cells. This interview took place during the CAR-TCR Summit Europe 2021.