Chimeric chlorotoxin receptors

Abstract

The invention provides chimeric antigen receptor(s) (CAR(s)) that comprise a fusion protein of CTX or any functional variant thereof or a CTX-like peptide or any functional variant thereof as the extracellular antigen recognition moiety of the CAR. CAR(s) comprising CTX, a CTX-like peptide or functional variants of the foregoing are collectively referred to herein as “CTX-CAR(s).” Such CTX-CAR(s) may further comprise additional moieties or domains in the extracellular domain, a transmembrane domain and at least one intracellular signaling domain. Such CTX-CAR(s) may be expressed in a host cell, such as, but not limited to, an immune effector cell. The present invention also provides methods of treatment (such as, for example, methods for treating cancer) by providing to the patient in need thereof immune effector cells that arc engineered to express a CTX-CAR described herein.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of treating cancer in a subject, the method comprising administering to the subject an immune effector cell comprising a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR), wherein the CAR comprises an extracellular domain comprising chlorotoxin, a functional variant of chlorotoxin, a chlorotoxin-like peptide, a functional variant of the chlorotoxin-like peptide, or a combination thereof, a transmembrane domain and at least one intracellular signaling domain.