1051-CAR-Monocytes for Cardiac Fibrosis Clearance

This research describes the development of pleiotropic chimeric antigen receptor-monocytes (pCAR-Mos), an innovative cell therapy designed to treat myocardial infarction and prevent heart failure. By engineering monocytes to target fibroblast activation protein (FAP) and secrete the regenerative protein Agrin, researchers created a dual-action treatment that simultaneously clears pathological fibrotic scarring and promotes the growth of new heart muscle. Unlike previous CAR-T or CAR-macrophage therapies, these engineered monocytes demonstrate a superior ability to migrate to damaged cardiac tissue while maintaining a high safety profile. Experimental results in mice show that pCAR-Mo administration restores cardiac function, increases vascular density, and stimulates cardiomyocyte proliferation. Ultimately, the study presents a reversible and effective strategy for cardiac repair with the potential for broad application in various fibrotic diseases.

References:

• Wu Z, Zou X, Chen C, et al. Engineered CAR-monocytes coordinate fibrosis clearance and cardiac regeneration following myocardial infarction[J]. Cell Stem Cell, 2026.