The challenge
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy involves genetically modifying a patient's immune cells to recognise and destroy cancer. One of the biggest challenges in CAR T-cell therapy is balancing effectiveness with safety.
The Call Lab at WEHI is pioneering innovative approaches to find this ‘goldilocks zone’, makingCAR T-cell therapy safer and more effective. The team's research focuses on fine-tuning engineered immune cells so they remain powerful enough to destroy cancer while improving safety for patients.
The role of philanthropy
Funding from Hearts & Minds, as nominated by TDM Growth Partners, has enabled WEHI researchers to develop and test proCAR T-cells for blood and brain cancers. ProCAR T-cells are a next-generation form of CAR T-cell therapy designed to improve the precision of cancer immunotherapy, helping the body's immune system better recognise and attack cancer cells.
Unlike conventional CAR T-cells, which rely on a single signalling pathway, split proCAR technology separates these signals into two distinct circuits that can be independently adjusted. This gives researchers greater control over how the cells respond, helping them target cancer more precisely while reducing harmful side effects.
What this could unlock
The long-term goal of this research is to help patients live longer, healthier lives through safer and more effective cancer treatments.
If successful, the WEHI approach could be incorporated into CAR T-cell therapies used across a wide range of cancers and adopted by treatment centres globally. Greater confidence in how these therapies perform may also allow clinicians to consider CAR T-cell therapy earlier in a patient's treatment journey, giving more people the opportunity to benefit from this potentially life-changing approach.
For more insights into this area of research, we were fortunate to hear from Prof Matt Call from the Call Lab when he joined the Hearts & Minds podcast in 2023. You can listen below.
Funding support from Hearts & Minds, as nominated by Core Fund Manager, TDM Growth Partners. This content was last updated in July 2026, for further information visit WEHI.
