Severing the scar supply line: CAR-T in chronic kidney disease

Longwei Liu; Yingxiao Wang

doi:10.1016/j.stem.2025.08.002

Severing the scar supply line: CAR-T in chronic kidney disease

Cell Stem Cell. 2025 Sep 4;32(9):1309-1310. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2025.08.002.

Authors

Longwei Liu¹, Yingxiao Wang²

Affiliations

¹ The Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Ophthalmology, Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: longweil@usc.edu.
² The Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: ywang283@usc.edu.

PMID: 40912230
DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2025.08.002

Abstract

CAR-T cell therapy is rapidly being extended to target various pathophysiological processes beyond cancer. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Zhao et al. engineered PDGFRβ-specific CAR-T cells in vivo to selectively target extracellular matrix-producing cells in kidney fibrosis,¹ opening new opportunities for treating fibrotic diseases with precision immunotherapy.

MeSH terms

Animals
Cicatrix* / pathology
Cicatrix* / therapy
Fibrosis
Humans
Immunotherapy, Adoptive*
Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta / metabolism
Receptors, Chimeric Antigen* / metabolism
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic* / immunology
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic* / pathology
Renal Insufficiency, Chronic* / therapy

Substances

Receptors, Chimeric Antigen
Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta

Grants and funding

K01 EB035649/EB/NIBIB NIH HHS/United States