MIT researchers developed a method to freeze and preserve CAR-T cells using natural sugars instead of high concentrations of toxic chemical preservatives, the institute announced on August 19, 2026.
Currently, only about 5 percent of hospitals in the United States have the facilities to generate and deliver CAR-T cells directly to patients. Most treatments must be manufactured in centralized laboratories, frozen, and transported over long distances.
Conventional cryopreservation relies on dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to prevent ice crystal formation that ruptures cell membranes. However, DMSO must be removed before transfusion because of its toxicity. That extraction process damages viable cells and requires technical expertise that most hospitals lack.
Replacing Chemical Preservatives
The MIT team, led by postdoctoral researchers Amy Lee and Khanh Tran alongside senior authors Ana Jaklenec and Robert Langer, published their findings in Trends in Biotechnology. The technique adapts an antifreeze mechanism found in Arctic organisms such as North American wood frogs, using trehalose and sucrose to stabilize proteins and inhibit ice crystal formation.
To introduce the sugars into the cells, researchers used electroporation, applying a brief electrical current to form temporary openings in cell membranes. While a small amount of DMSO is still included, the concentration is low enough that medical staff do not need to wash it out before patient administration.
Animal Models and Clinical Outlook
In laboratory testing, the process improved post-thaw survival rates for both CAR-T cells and mesenchymal stem cells compared to conventional DMSO treatments. In mouse models of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and glioblastoma, animals treated with sugar-preserved CAR-T cells demonstrated higher survival rates than those receiving cells preserved with conventional DMSO.
The researchers plan to collaborate with hospitals to test whether the workflow can integrate into clinical pipelines, with the goal of conducting a small patient trial. Postdoctoral fellowships from the Ludwig Center at MIT's Koch Institute and the Convergence Scholars Program at the MIT Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine supported the research.
