<scp>TGF</scp> ‐β Blockade With <scp>SB525334</scp> Enhances <scp>B7</scp> ‐ <scp>H3 CAR</scp> ‐ <scp>γδT</scp> Cell Efficacy Against Glioblastoma
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) signalling promotes glioblastoma (GBM) immunosuppression and therapy resistance. Although CAR-γδT therapy has shown promising efficacy in hematologic malignancies, its application to solid tumours-particularly GBM-is impeded by multiple factors, including a highly immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment, inefficient T-cell infiltration, T-cell exhaustion driven by inhibitory pathways such as TGF-β, and antigen heterogeneity. Bioinformatics analyses further corroborate that TGFB1 is significantly upregulated in GBM and correlates with poor prognosis, highlighting TGF-β as a pivotal mediator of therapeutic resistance. This study aimed to evaluate whether SB525334, a selective TGF-β receptor inhibitor, can enhance the efficacy and persistence of CAR-γδT cells in GBM. We demonstrate that SB525334 selectively enhances CAR-γδT cell function and antitumour efficacy by alleviating TGF-β-mediated immunosuppression and T-cell exhaustion while promoting immune activation within the GBM microenvironment. The combination treatment significantly reduced tumour cell viability (approximately 40%-50% residual viability) compared to CAR-γδT therapy alone (70%-85% residual viability), indicating a clear synergistic effect. Unlike broad-spectrum inhibitors, SB525334 sustains CAR-γδT proliferative capacity and effector function under chronic antigen stimulation, remodels the immunosuppressive tumour microenvironment, and promotes a pro-inflammatory immune signature. Our findings establish a combination strategy to overcome immunosuppressive barriers that limit current CAR-γδT therapies in solid tumours. By maintaining T-cell function and remodelling the tumour immune microenvironment, TGF-β1 small-molecule inhibitors show potential as translational adjuvants to broaden the clinical applicability of CAR-γδT cell immunotherapy.
Authors
- Chang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3267-1859)
- Yinqiang Sui (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6176-5379)
- X. Li
- Yi‐Wei Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4888-6771)
- Weichao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5931-212X)
- Yang Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0883-8233)
- Zijing Zhou
- Zuoyu Jiang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7257-0362)
- Jiaming Du
- Yingbo Hou
- Yulun Huang
- Hanmiao Dong
- Yeyang Xu
- Yang Zhu
- Ruoyu Sun
- Qinzhi E
- Xuewen Zhang
- Zijian Han
Institutions
- Sinovac Biotech (CN)
- Soochow University (CN)
- Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University (CN)
- The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University (Suzhou Dushu Lake Hospital)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
- Published
- 2026-03-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1111/jcmm.71089
- Primary Topic
- TGF-β signaling in diseases
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00