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Early Detection of CAR-T-Associated Neurotoxicity via Cytokine Monitoring in Serum

Parizat, A.; Alalouf, O.; Sapir, D.; Shibli, N.; Perets, R.; Aran, D.; Beyar Katz, O.; Shechtman, Y.

2026-03-04 oncology
10.64898/2026.03.03.26347491 medRxiv
Show abstract

Immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS) is a common and life-threatening complication of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, with early detection being critical for timely intervention and improved outcomes. Cytokines such as interleukin-6 (IL-6) are key mediators of the inflammatory cascade underlying ICANS pathogenesis, but prospective clinical evidence for their predictive value is limited. Here we quantify IL-6 levels in a prospective cohort of 40 CAR-T patients (270 serum samples), using a simple in-house microfluidic bead immunoassay. IL-6 levels measured by our assay were significantly associated with ICANS onset. Specifically, each [~]3.4-fold increase in IL-6 levels was linked to a 74% increase in the odds of developing ICANS the following day, independent of other clinical variables. Overall, we show the prognostic value of IL-6 for next-day ICANS, demonstrate the potential of frequent cytokine measurement to guide CAR-T patient management, and develop a simple experimental method to perform such monitoring.

Published in Cytotherapy · training set

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